Colorado Nights
by D.C-Lakes
Summary: Private moments in the life of the Duncan family. I do not own Good Luck Charlie. If you don't like gay people, then you should probably go away or stay, I could care less, it's not like you matter anyway.
1. Colorado Nights

Title: Colorado Nights

By: D.C. Lakes

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Good Luck Charlie or any of its characters. The poor dears are the property of Disney.

It was a warm Colorado night. The stars were fighting to shine their way through the haze of the city lights. The air was just beginning to lose the heat of the day and take on the scent of the bougainvillea planted around the hospital. For Amy Duncan it was the end of a long shift and she relished each breath of cool scented air as she walked through the parking garage to her sedan. She couldn't wait to get home, even though she knew there would be mess there to clean up, they were her messes, her kids. She had spent half the night patching up a sixteen year old boy who had barely walked away from a drag race. When his mother walked in all she could talk about was what he had done to their car. Amy could only hope she would have reacted differently, would have been thankful that her son has survived instead of worrying about a car. Because another boy hadn't been so lucky, he hadn't walked away. The MRI's looked like he might never walk again if he even woke up at all.

She released one shuddering sigh as she slid behind the driver's seat. She just wanted to get home and see her kids. If they were all healthy and happy she would clean up whatever mess had managed to accumulate while she was gone without complaining. As the lights of the hospital and the city fell away in the rear view mirror she took another deep breath and released it slowly. It meant there was another twenty minutes before she got home. But as the towering sodium lamps gave way to smaller ornamental street lights her tension seeped away. When she finally pulled into the driveway beside Bob's work van the two broken boys in the hospital seemed worlds away, like a half remembered nightmare.

She dropped her purse on the table by the door and closed it behind her locking out the rest of the world. Bob was asleep on the couch, his soft snoring lost in the sound of the television. Charlie sat at his feet watching raptly as a star and a circle danced across the screen. Amy picked her up and kissed her baby girl on the forehead taking a deep breath of her baby scent before setting her back down so she could get back to her show.

Downstairs Teddy was talking to Ivy on video chat. Amy stood in the doorway, not really listening, just watching as her daughter laughed with her friend. She turned and headed towards the kitchen before either of them could notice her standing there. She was surprised to find Gabe sitting at the kitchen table working on his homework. Usually it took her at least fifteen minutes of arguing and cajoling to get him to even open his backpack.

"What did you do?" She asked as she sat down at the table.

"I'm innocent." He protested pushing his school book away with a sigh.

"Why aren't in your room playing?" She asked.

"I think PJ's crying." Gabe shifted uncomfortably in his seat. That would explain it, there's nothing more awkward for a thirteen year old than to catch your big brother actually expressing emotions. "I told Dad, but he said tears were your department."

"Of course he did." She sighed. When PJ was younger, before the rest of the kids had come along, they both dealt with their share of scraped knees and bloody noses. But when he started growing up Bob had started delegating. He would deal with relationship advice, and Amy had to pick up the pieces when the relationships ended. It kind of irritated her that Bob couldn't deal with PJ on an emotional level anymore, but she liked being the one to pick up the pieces. When PJ was brokenhearted and trying to fight back the tears she could see her little boy again, the one who had stolen and owned her heart before she had had to divvy it up amongst four kids.

"I'll go talk to him." She said softly patting Gabe on the back. "Do you remember her name?" She hated to ask, but her oldest son went through girlfriends so quickly that she couldn't keep track. She would have been worried that he was turning into a player, but each failed romance still left him brokenhearted.

"He hasn't been dating anyone lately." Gabe said staring at his half finished homework. "He's just been sleeping a lot." Amy nodded and left the kitchen without another word.

Upstairs she listened outside PJ and Gabe's bedroom door. She could just barely hear the sound of soft sniffling. Easing open the door she walked in and sat down on Gabe's bed. PJ was curled up on his own bed with the blankets pulled up over his head. She sat for a while waiting for him to come out. She had learned a long time ago that it was better to let him come to her on his own than try to draw him out. Finally he pulled back the covers and sat up. It was worse than she had expected. His eyes were red and sore. His hair, which he usually took such great care with, was tussled and messed. She switched beds, sitting down beside him, and wrapped her arm around his waist. Something was definitely wrong in a bad way. Normally he melted into her embrace, dropping his head onto her shoulder and sobbing. And for a moment, just for a moment, he was her little boy again. But instead he sat stiffly staring at the floor.

"PJ, what's wrong, baby." She murmured rubbing her hand over his back. He didn't respond. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything."

"Anything?" She barely heard the word. His voice was small and shredded, so soft that she struggled to understand him.

"Of course, you know that." She said squeezing him against her and shaking her head. "Is it a girl?" The bitter little chuckle caused her breath to catch in her throat. PJ was a happy kid; she had never expected a sound like that to come from him. This was something worse than a broken heart, whatever was bothering him had had time to fester and suppurate.

"It's not a girl. It's never a girl." He murmured finally. His voice had turned cold and hard and she felt tears prick at the back of her own eyes. She never wanted any of her children to feel pain, but PJ was scaring her. "You can't tell Dad. Please, don't tell Dad." And suddenly the brutal edge was gone from his voice and he was her baby again. He pressed his forehead into her shoulder and started sobbing.

"What is it, what don't you want me telling Dad?" She asked brushing her hand over his soft, blonde hair. She was going to kill Bob. For their entire marriage she had played bad cop so her children wouldn't be afraid of their father. She had been so frightened of her own, afraid of his temper. When she met Bob he was so soft and warm, PJ reminded her of the young man she fell in love with in so many ways. But if anything PJ was even warmer and more sensitive than Bob had been. So she had let Bob be the fun parent, the one who brought home toys and rewards for good grades. But somewhere along the way PJ had still picked up fear and she wasn't happy.

"I think…" PJ paused, his voice stolen by a slow, shuddering sob. "I think I'm gay." The world crystallized in that moment. The light took on a hard, sharp glow. And the words hung in the air like a butterfly encased in glass. Amy felt her heart slow to a stop as ice bloomed from the pit of her stomach. Those were practically the last words she heard her brother say. He had whispered them out the window of their fathers Chevy before he pulled away. Later that night he wrapped that Chevy around a tree and didn't walk away. She slipped out of PJ's arms and turned in the bed capturing his face in her hands.

"You don't have to worry about Dad, PJ." She murmured pressing her forehead against his. "We love you no matter what. I love you no matter what."

"Just please don't tell him." His red washed blue eyes pleading. "I don't want him to know yet." Another sob wracked his narrow chest and Amy felt her heart break a little more.

"Okay, it's okay I won't tell him." She agreed wrapping her arms around him. "But you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"No matter how bad it gets, how scared you are, even if it seems like there's no way out. Just come talk to me, don't do anything that you can't take back." The first tear broke loose and coursed down her cheek. "Don't hurt yourself."

"I won't." He promised shaking his head.

"Alright, why don't you come downstairs with me and I'll fix us a cup of tea." PJ's nose curled up and for a moment she could still see through to the giggling blonde that had captivated her attention for two years. "Alright, hot chocolate." She said chuckling. "And I'll tell you about your Uncle James."

Bob could tell there was something going on in the house. When he had woken from his nap and stumbled into the kitchen he found Amy and PJ sitting at the kitchen table, talking and drinking cocoa. That alone was strange enough. PJ had spent most of his time avoiding them since he had turned fourteen and found out parents were un-cool. Even odder, the moment he walked into the room PJ stiffened and looked away from the door. Amy turned in her chair, her eyes flashing dangerously as they landed on him. It wouldn't be the first time he had done something to upset his wife without realizing it, it probably wouldn't be the last, but PJ's reaction was incredibly troubling. Without saying a word his firstborn son stood from the table and darted past him up the stairs.

"What did I do?" He asked crossing to the fridge. He had been married for twenty years, and during two decades of wedded bliss he had come to realize that it was best to find out what he had done and try to fix it before Amy blew up in his face.

"That's what I would like to know." Amy said crossing her arms, glaring at her husband. He paused with his head still stuck in the fridge trying to think. He hadn't exactly expected that particular response and had no idea how to regain his equilibrium. Finally he grabbed a pudding cup out of the fridge and closed it.

"Okay, I give up." He said shaking his head as he walked behind the island to get a spoon. The last time he had done something to hurt PJ's feelings the boy had confronted him and they had worked it out. Whatever it was this time had to be major if his son was avoiding him and his wife had murder in her eyes.

"PJ's afraid of you." Amy said her words coming out clipped and bitter. Bob nearly dropped the spoon he had picked up. It was another curve ball, the last thing at all he expected to hear out of her mouth.

"No he's not." He turned, laughing. "No one is."

"PJ is." Amy insisted, her hands pressed flat against the table. He could see the tips of her fingers pressing against the wood until her nail beds turned white. "I have been a hard ass bitch with the kids all these years so the kids could have a funny, happy dad. You know what I had to deal with growing up; I didn't want our kids to have the issues I have. That's why we didn't spank, that's why we didn't scream, and that's why I was the disciplinarian. But PJ is still afraid of you." Bob sighed and dropped the spoon back in the drawer, took the pudding and put it back in the fridge, if he wanted to sleep in his own bed that night he was going to have to talk her down. Because there was no quicker way to piss Amy Duncan off than to mess with her kids.

"I'm sorry; honey, but I don't know what I did. I've never screamed at the kid, I've never hit him; I haven't given him any reason to be afraid of me. Now what is this all about, did he tell you I scare him?"

"Not in so many words." Amy said sighing, her hands relaxing on the table.

"Then what did he say?"

"I can't tell you." Amy said looking away, unable to meet her husband's eyes. She didn't like keeping things from him, but PJ had made her promise to keep it a secret, and what he needed right now was someone he could trust. She wasn't about to break that trust.

"What? We never keep things from each other." Bob said leaning back in his chair. Irritation and concern battled for dominance on his features.

"PJ trusted me with something, and I have to keep that trust." She said her shoulders sagging. The anger that had been building in her all night flooded away leaving her tired. She had been ready to climb up Bob's back and beat the hell out of him for scaring their son, but now all she wanted to do was go to bed.

"PJ's my son, if there's something wrong I should know." He said crossing his arms across his chest. His words rekindled some of the ebbing fury.

"There is nothing wrong with PJ. NOTHING, do you understand me?" She snapped leaning across the table. Bob's eyes widened and he leaned away throwing up his hand innocently. He had only seen his wife like that a couple of times in his life. The last time had been when a bigger kid had been bullying PJ on the playground. Amy had gone up to the kid's mother, dragged her over to where the boys were, and told her exactly what she would do to her if her son ever picked on PJ again.

"Okay, okay that's not what I meant." He said dropping his hands to his sides. "But if I've done something to upset him I want to know about it."

"I don't even know if you _did _do anything, Bob." She said scrubbing at her eyes, smearing her eye make up. "Just don't mention this to PJ, okay. And when he comes to talk to you…don't dick it up." She said standing from the table. Bob got up and followed her, dropping his arm around her shoulders as they headed up the stairs. He was still clueless but had managed to avoid sleeping on the couch.

After Amy was sound asleep Bob padded down the stairs to the kitchen. He never had gotten his pudding and his stomach was grumbling irritably. He stopped just inside the door, the refrigerator was open and he could see a pair of pajama bottom and two long, thin feet poking out from under the door. PJ closed the fridge and headed towards the island with the milk carton. He had poured half a glass of milk before he noticed Bob's presence. He looked like a deer in the headlights, his bright blue eyes going wide as the glass slipped out of his hand, shattering against the sink.

The sound of breaking glass broke the spell that had fallen over the kitchen; PJ jumped staring down at the milk covered shards of glass. A moment later PJ gasped and jerked his hand out of the sink, cuddling it to his chest for a moment. Bob crossed to the cabinets, grabbing the first aide kit from under the microwave. Catching PJ's bleeding hand gently; he led him to the table. They sat in silence as Bob cleaned the wound, dabbing it with an iodine swab. PJ bit his lip, wincing as the stinging orange liquid covered the three inch gash in his palm.

"Maybe I should go wake up your mother, this might need stitches." Bob said without glancing up from his son's bleeding hand.

"I don't think it's that deep." PJ murmured, his eyes hidden by his hanging bangs.

"Are you sure? This is your fret hand." Bob asked examining his son. Amy was right, something had definitely changed. PJ sat stiffly. The wrist that Bob was holding nearly trembled.

"I don't feel like going to the ER right now." PJ said quietly, still not looking up from the table. "I'll let her look at it in the morning."

"Okay." Bob sighed, smearing antiseptic ointment on the cut, being careful not to jab at the open wound with his blunt fingers. "What did I do?" He asked finally, as he pressed a gauze pad over PJ's palm. Being open and straight forward had always worked with Amy. PJ was more like him than his mother, but could only hope that it would still work.

"What do you mean?" PJ asked quietly, looking up at Bob for the first time.

"You're mother's going to kill me, she told me not to say anything but…."

"She told you?" PJ shouted, tearing his hand out of Bob's grasp as he spun out of his chair and began pacing the kitchen. "All I asked her was to let me tell you in my own time, and she couldn't even do that." PJ's voice was wavering, on the edge of breaking, and Bob was shocked to see tears streaking his son's face. When PJ began to pound his injured hand against his thigh Bob jumped out of his chair and grabbed him by the shoulders, pinning his arms to his sides.

"Whoa, she didn't tell me anything." He said staring into PJ's tear stained face. His eyes were blood shot, the blue nearly seemed to glow against the red background. "All she said was that you were afraid of me." PJ seemed to calm slightly. "I don't know what I did to scare you, PJ, but you have to know I would never hurt you, no matter what." PJ took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I'm bleeding on my foot." PJ said straining his head to look down at the drops of blood on the top of his foot. Bob stepped back, looking down without releasing PJ's shoulders.

"You knocked your bandage off." Bob said staring at the blood soaked gauze pad lying a few feet away. "I think we need to go to the ER."

"Yeah, okay." PJ said sighing. Bob grabbed another couple of pads out of the kit, ripped one open with his teeth and pressed it to PJ's hand. "Put a little pressure on that." He said looping his arm around PJ's shoulder as they headed towards the garage. They were halfway to Denver General before they spoke again.

"I don't want to push you…" Bob began glancing at PJ out of the corner of his eye. PJ leaned his head against the back of the seat sighing heavily.

"But it's going to bug the crap out of you until you find out why I'm so freaked, right?" He asked his head lolling until he was looking at his father.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up."

"Pull over." PJ sighed, sitting up and looking out the window.

"Really, that bad, huh?" Bob asked as he maneuvered the car onto the narrow shoulder of the road. "You're not flunking out of high school are you?"

"I wish." PJ said laughing mirthlessly. "I can handle an F." They sat in silence for a moment, Bob's hand gripping the steering wheel anxiously, PJ staring into the tree lined darkness behind the guardrail. "I like guys, Dad."

Bob breathed a sigh of relief. His son wasn't on drugs, no one was pregnant, he hadn't been caught shop lifting. All of the horrible things that had been running through his head faded away. PJ was gay. He could deal with gay, gay didn't change anything. PJ was still the same boy he had always been. He actually started laughing. PJ turned in his seat and stared at his father, his face confused and a little frightened.

"What were you so afraid of?" Bob asked after he managed to catch his breath. "I mean worst case scenario."

"Um, worst case scenario? You beating the crap out of me and kicking me out of the house." PJ said looking back out the window. He barely kept from flinching when he felt his father's giant hand land on his shoulder.

"PJ, look at me." PJ turned and looked at his father, taken aback by the hurt look in his eyes. "Do you really think I would beat you?"

"I don't know, it happens to a lot of kids." He said shrugging his shoulders. "I read about them on the internet, they grow up thinking they have this great relationship with their parents, but when they come out things change. They get beat up, or kicked out, or sent to one of those reeducation camps." PJ stopped his face going pale. "I don't care if you kick me out, if you never speak to me again, but please don't send me to one of those camps."

"You're not going to any camp, PJ. I'm not kicking you out of the house. I'm going to take you to the hospital and get you stitched up before your mother wakes up and finds us gone." He said, shaking his head as he pulled back onto the road. "I can't believe you thought I'd hit you."

"I'm sorry." PJ said hanging his head again.

"No, I should be sorry. Sometime when you were growing up I did something wrong. I don't know what; you probably don't even know what. But at some point I made you think that I could actually bring myself to do you harm and I am sorry." They rode in silence for a while, questions percolating in Bob's brain until they finally started to trickle out of his mouth. "So have you…"

"I'm still a virgin, Dad, boys and girls." PJ said laughing quietly.

"Oh, okay, are you…"

"Nope, I just figured this out, haven't really had time to go out and pick up a boyfriend."

"You're doing that whole creepy psychic thing your mom does." Bob said smirking as he glanced at his son.

"Not really, I came up with a list of questions I might have to answer when I started coming out to people. In case you're wondering I'm not sure if I'm a pitcher or catcher yet." It took a moment for Bob to understand what PJ was talking about; when he did he actually blushed.

"I wasn't going to ask that question." He said shaking his head. "You know, I'm going to do my best, but I'm not sure what to do with all of this. I mean I love you no matter what; I'm not disappointed in you. But I have no idea how to raise a gay kid. I don't really feel qualified to give relationship advice anymore. And it would be nice if you gave me a while before we got into talking about the whole bedroom aspect."

"Deal." PJ nodded. By then they had reached the hospital. Bob parked the van in the ER parking lot and led PJ to the entrance. It wasn't until they were crossing the parking lot that they realized that neither of them was wearing shoes. The nurse behind the front desk looked up, her eyes widening as she recognized the blonde man and boy.

"PJ, what happened?" She asked coming around the counter. He held up his hand, the gauze was soaked through again, but it seemed to be slowing. "Ouch that looks like a nasty cut, does it hurt?" She asked gently teasing the gauze away from the gash.

"Not too bad." PJ said shrugging.

"Well we've been kind of busy tonight, but things just started to calm down. Just fill out this paperwork," she said reaching across the counter to grab a clip board. "And we'll get you in to see a doctor."

Amy woke up to an empty bed. She stretched her arm out across the mattress, feeling cool sheets beneath her skin. Sighing she climbed out of the bed and headed downstairs. Even as she had fallen asleep she had felt Bob lying beside her, still awake. Normally he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and she drifted to sleep not long after he started snoring. She wasn't exactly surprised to wake up and find him gone.

She slowed as she walked into the kitchen. The family's supped up first aide kit was sitting open on the kitchen table. Her heart skipped a beat then stopped as she walked around the table and found the blood soaked gauze pad lying on the kitchen floor surrounded by drops of blood. Visions of PJ drawing a knife across his wrists flashed through her mind. She could almost see the blood dripping from the tips of his fingers as he wondered listlessly around the kitchen waiting for the last of his life to trickle away.

She didn't notice the broken glass in the sink or the spilled milk on the floor. Instead she headed to the stairs that lead into the basement. She tripped down the wooden stairs two at a time, rushing into Teddy's bedroom without knocking and shook her daughter awake. Teddy groaned but sat up staring at her mother through sleep blurred eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she noticed the panic stricken look on her face.

"I think PJ's hurt; I need you to watch Gabe and Charlie while I go look for him." She said prancing with impatience as she explained.

"What? Where is he?" Teddy asked scrubbing sleepily at her eyes.

"I don't know." Amy's voice broke into a sob as she headed back towards the stairs. Just as she hit the top step she heard her cell phone ringing from the living room. She nearly ignored it, but at the last moment she thought that it might be PJ calling, scared and alone, wanting her help. She trotted into the living room and pawed through her purse until she found her phone.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded weak and shaky.

"He's okay, Amy." It took her a moment to recognize her friend Jill's voice.

"Oh, thank God." Amy murmured, releasing a shuddering sigh as the first tears managed to break loose and slide down her face.

"The minute I saw those boys I knew you had to be freaking out." Jill said her voice warm with affection.

"What happened?" Amy asked brushing the back of one shaking hand across her face.

"PJ dropped a glass in the sink and cut himself trying to clean it up. Bob did a pretty job cleaning it up and staunching the bleeding. It took four stitches to close it up, Doctor Sanderson says he might have some problems using the hand for a couple of weeks but he didn't slice into the muscle."

"Thank god." Amy repeated, she meant it more than anything she had ever said in her life. It was just an accident, if she'd bothered to look in the sink she would have seen the broken glass; PJ hadn't tried to kill himself. "Is he okay? PJ really doesn't like needles."

"Bob was standing there holding his hand the whole time, he got kind of pale but he's okay."

"Could you put one of them on the phone please?"

"Yeah, PJ's still kind of loopy, here's Bob." She heard the soft sounds of movement as the phone was passed, then Bob's voice.

"Hi, honey." He said sounding exhausted.

"You're both dead when you get home for not waking me up." She said her grimace cracking into a smile before slipping back.

"You'll have to wait a while; the doctor wants to wait until PJ's color improves before I can bring him home." Bob said, smiling. "He told me on the ride to the hospital." He added as an afterthought.

"I thought he did it on purpose, Bob. I thought he was going to be like James." She said barely biting back a sob as fresh, hot tears started flowing.

"I walked into the kitchen and scared him, baby. He dropped the glass and cut himself trying to clean it up. He's not going to be like James. James didn't have parents who loved him like we love our kids. He didn't have a mother who would kill to protect him." He said smiling again. "PJ wants to talk to you." She heard the sound of the phone passing again then heard PJ's breathing.

"Hey, baby." She whispered her throat tight with more tears.

"I'm sorry I scared you." PJ's voice sounded as fragile as her own, she could almost see his bloodless face.

"It's not your fault, you promised me you wouldn't do anything stupid, I should have had more faith in you instead of freaking out. How'd things go with your dad?" She asked swiping at the tears under her eyes with her thumb.

"He was great. Um, the doctor's back. I should probably let you go." PJ said quickly.

"It's me again." Jill's voice came back on the line.

"Is there anyway you can work me out of the schedule tomorrow?" Amy asked wincing. She knew it would be a pain in the ass to rearrange the schedule, but she wanted to stay home the next day. There was no way she was letting PJ go to school; he wouldn't be able to do any work with his hand anyway. She just wanted to spend some time with her son.

"I wouldn't do this shit for anyone but you, Duncan." Jill said tsking wearily.

"I owe you one, big time."

"You know you do. Bob just signed the release papers the boys should be home in a little while."

"Thanks, Jill." Amy said brushing her bangs out of her face.

"No problem, I've got to get off of here and start untangling the Gordian knot." Amy hit the end button and turned around to find Teddy standing in the kitchen door.

"Did you find him?"

"Yeah, he's okay. Dad's bringing him back from the hospital right now." She said smiling tiredly.

"What did you mean that you thought PJ was going to be like Uncle James?" Teddy asked, wrapping her arms around herself. "Uncle James killed himself, why would PJ kill himself?" Amy slipped her phone back into her purse, trying to gather her thoughts.

"I think that's something you need to talk to PJ about. But you should go back to bed, you have school tomorrow." She said praying silently that Teddy wouldn't push the issue.

"Yeah, like I'm going to be able to sleep now." Teddy said frowning.

"Teddy, honey, PJ just had to have four stitches. You know how much he hates needles. When he gets home I'm going to get him into bed. Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"Why can't you just tell me?" Teddy asked her voice rising in frustration.

"Because it wouldn't be right. PJ will tell you when he's ready. And I don't want you ambushing him like your father did; I don't think he can handle another trip to the emergency room."

"He's going to be okay?" Teddy asked, absently rubbing her arms.

"Yeah, he's going to be fine." Amy nodded.

"Alright, I'll go back to bed." Teddy yawned and turned back into the kitchen. A little while later Amy heard her footsteps receding down the stairs. She sat down feeling the adrenaline seeping out of her system, leaving her feeling more tired than when she had lay down to sleep.

Fifteen minutes later there was a scraping knock on the front door. Amy walked over and peeked through the window. Bob was standing on the front porch with PJ's sleeping form cradled against his chest. She opened the door and stepped back to let them in.

"He's going to have to spend the night on the couch, even if I could wake him up he'd be too groggy to make it up the stairs and I can't carry him any farther." Bob said stumbling over the threshold.

"Codeine?" Amy asked as she went over to rearrange the cushions on the couch.

"Yeah, he tried to do the whole stoic teenager thing, but Jill bullied him into it." Bob said awkwardly depositing his son on the couch. PJ bounced slightly but didn't wake as he curled into the back of the couch, burying his face against the soft fabric.

"So you two talked?"

"Yeah, can you believe he actually thought I might beat him up?" He asked staring down at his sleeping boy. He remembered changing diapers, giving piggy back rides; he could never hurt PJ no matter what he did.

"You're a big man, Bob, people who don't know you think you're scary. And he's probably been through a lot in the past few weeks." She said leaning against his side.

"Yeah, I know. I just never want to see that look in his eye again. When I walked into the kitchen I thought he was going to pass out."

"So you're really okay with this?" She asked craning her neck to look into his face.

"Heh, things were a little touch and go when he started talking about baseball, but yeah. He's my kid; nothing he could have told me would have made me stop caring about him. I was just relieved he wasn't popping pills and that he hadn't knocked up some girl."

"Well, we won't have to worry about that one until Gabe's older." She actually managed a tired laugh.

"I don't even want to think about that tonight." Bob said yawning loudly. "Let's go to bed." Amy nodded, wrapping her arm around his waist as they headed up the stairs.

A/N: This just started rolling out one night. I was so amazed by the language and flow I didn't know what to do with it for a long time. I decided to finish it tonight.

R/N: So I'm finally getting around to revising this thing. When I finish a chapter I'm just so excited to get it posted so you guys can read it I don't sweat the proofreading. If there are any mistakes left in this copy it's because I didn't catch them. That's the big difference between a Creative Writing Major and an English Major. I'll be working on the rest of the chapters throughout the next few nights, implementing some helpful suggestions from reviewers. As always please review.


	2. Mommy and PJ Time

Title: Colorado Nights

By: D.C. Lakes

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Good Luck Charlie or any of its characters. The poor dears are the property of Disney.

PJ stood barefoot in the drifting snow. He couldn't feel the slush piling against his toes, or the icy wind blowing through his hair. The blanket of white stretched as far as he could see in every direction, sharp against the star bare night sky. His breath flowed out in a coiling mist that made half formed images is the frozen air before blowing away.

"I don't think I'm in Colorado anymore." He said softly. His voice echoed back from every direction. But the voice coming from just over his shoulder didn't seem to be his own. He spun kicking up a spray of fine snow. A gnarled black tree stood in the middle of the colorless expanse, its highest branches fading seamlessly into the sky. There was something about the tree that frightened him. It didn't cast a shadow on the ground and its branches seemed to sway against the gusting wind.

He didn't know where he was going, but as long as it was away from that tree he would be happy. He took off walking in the other direction but still the fear built within him, pounding against his chest. His shambling walk quickened into a staggering run. He tripped once, clawing and kicking against the ground until he was back on his feet. It felt like he had been running for a mile when he stopped to catch his breath.

He glanced over his shoulder expecting to see the tree tiny against the horizon or gone all together. But it was still there, looking closer than when he had begun running. The snow behind him was unmarred save for a trail of blood, each drop glowing like a gem against the endless white. He looked down and winced as his eyes fell on the gash across his hand, pain exploding into the empty world.

If he couldn't escape the tree, there was no point in trying. He didn't want to walk towards the tree, but it was the only thing on the frosted wasteland. Running from the tree had only brought him closer. One step brought him to the base. A shiver ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Instead of bark the tree was covered in scales, its branches tapered off into needles, glinting brightly against the darkness. He took a step back and screamed as arms wrapped around him from behind.

PJ woke with a strangled squawk. He flailed desperately against the couch until the palm of his right hand slapped down against the coffee table pulling a pained groan from his lips. As the dream faded PJ rolled into a sitting position, cradling his throbbing hand against his chest.

"Stupid couch." He said slamming his good hand against the upholstery. He had a nightmare every time he slept on the thing, and now he was waking up on it when he distinctly remembered falling asleep in his own bed.

"Is everything okay in here?" Amy asked opening the pass through from the kitchen. "I thought I heard you scream."

"I had a stupid nightmare." PJ pressed his hand against his forehead before brushing his sweat lank hair back from his face. "That and I smacked the couch." He said holding up his bandaged hand. She disappeared from the walkthrough and appeared in the kitchen door.

"You're bleeding again." She sighed as she grabbed his hand. Cherry red blood was already seeping up through the gauze. "I hope you didn't tear any of your stitches." She began gently unwinding the bandage from his hand. He winced as the gauze pulled away from the tacky blood on his palm. "They're still there but you pulled them good. You have to be more careful."

"I was asleep." He protested.

"Okay, okay." She said laughing quietly. "Come into the kitchen so I can re-bandage this." As they entered the kitchen the scent of chocolate and sausage filled PJ's senses.

"Chocolate chip waffles?" He asked licking his lips. "Do I have to get a shot or something? Because that's not cool, I got like five last night."

"No, you don't have to get any more shots." She said shaking her head as she retrieved the first aide kits. "Five?"

"Well, the anesthetic and the stitches." He shrugged. "It felt like five shots."

"Point taken." She nodded, dabbing some of the excess blood from his palm. "Do you need more medicine? Jill sent a couple home with your father."

"No, I'm not going to sleep on that couch again." He shook his head violently.

"That bad, huh?" He recounted his dream as she wrapped fresh gauze around his hand.

"I've never had a dream like that in all my life. It was so freaky then from out of nowhere someone grabs me from behind." He finished, shuddering.

"Well you went through a lot last night, honey. I'm not surprised you're having weird dreams."

"I guess." He said shrugging.

"And it's not over yet." She said smiling apologetically as she got up to finish breakfast.

"Dun dun DUHN." PJ said in a sing song. "What do you know that's on its way to bite me in the butt?"

"You know last night…when I thought you were injured and dieing somewhere?" Amy said nonchalantly as she sat the plate down in front of him. Despite his growling stomach PJ ignored the food, staring at her wearily. "Well I woke up your sister so she could keep an eye on Gabe and Charlie."

"Uh huh, get to the part where things turn disturbing." PJ said finally spearing a sausage link on his fork.

"Well she heard me talking on the phone to your father…"

"You outed me to Teddy?" He asked snapping the sausage in half with his teeth.

"Not exactly…but she's probably going to attack you as soon as she gets home from school." She sighed resting her chin against one hand. "I get points for being a terrified mother, right?"

"You didn't manage to spill any beans to Gabe, did you?" He asked sighing as he began to cut his waffles.

"No, as far as I know he's pretty much clueless." She said shaking her head. "Well except for you crying yesterday, he was there for that part."

"I guess I can deal with Teddy." PJ shrugged as he shoveled a bite of pancakes into his mouth. Chocolate chip pancakes was the one food his mother could cook perfectly.

"You're worried about telling Gabe?" She asked learning back in her chair as she took a sip of tea. PJ glanced up at her still chewing the chocolaty pancakes. He could remember when he used to be close to his mom, when she was his best friend in the world. Things hadn't really changed after Teddy was born, but by the time Gabe had rolled around they had drifted apart. The look in her eye said that she regretted it, that she wanted him back, so instead of swallowing his feelings he told her.

"I don't know. I'm his big brother; he's supposed to be able to look up to me." He said shaking his head.

"PJ, being gay doesn't mean you're not a good roll model for your brother." She said reaching across the table to lay her hand across his. "Any more than your father being straight makes him a bad roll model for you. It doesn't matter who you love as long as you love and respect the people around you." PJ stared at her for a moment. His mother was bat-shit crazy. She was obsessed with fame, she'd been known to climb over one of her kids to get it, but he had never doubted that deep down she loved them all. Still he had never expected his mother to put aside her latent insanity to offer sound advice. Usually she just meddled until something got screwed up beyond all reason.

"You don't think he'll freak out? I mean he does have to share a room with me." PJ asked staring at her for a moment, she looked away before responding.

"I can't promise you that Gabe won't have a hard time adjusting." She sighed, looking up to meet PJ's eyes. "But I know that he loves you and no matter how bad his first reaction may be he'll get over it. Now since you have the day off from school I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with me." She asked.

"Shopping for what?" He asked wearily. One of the things that had kept him confused for so long was that he wasn't really all that girly. He liked wearing nice things, but he didn't want to spend hours searching through the stores looking for the exact right thing to wear.

"I'll make you a deal, for every clothing store I drag you to, you can drag me into a music store or a game shop." She said smirking.

"Deal." PJ said nodding. He stood to go take a shower and stopped in the kitchen doorway. "What am I supposed to do with this?" He asked holding up his bandaged hand. Amy held up a plastic bag causing him to sigh. He came back to the table and allowed her to tie the bag around his bandaged hand. So much for some Happy PJ Shower Fun Time.

PJ tried not to groan out loud as Amy led him into Abernathy and Critch. She had already let him drag her through Dead Beat and listen as he tried out the guitars. She had smiled quietly as he sat on the stood and plucked out a quick, tuneless riff with his good hand. The least he could do was keep up his end of the bargain and not complain out loud while they were in the clothing store. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Do you need anything?" She asked glancing at him impatiently. She was nearly bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation of digging into the sales rack.

"I don't think so." He said shrugging. He glanced quickly around the store but only one thing caught his eye, and it wasn't clothes. Teddy's ex Spencer was standing in the Young Miss department talking to a girl about their age. He was dressed in nothing but board shorts and a tan. PJ absently licked his lips as his eyes traveled over the dark haired boys bronzed chest and crooked smile.

"PJ." Amy said nudging him in the stomach with her elbow. "I asked if you could hold my purse." PJ was still too distracted to think clearly. He nodded numbly and accepted the substantial weight of her bag before he understood what was happening.

He didn't fully come back to his senses until Spencer's eyes flicked towards him. The half-assed smile widening ever so slightly as he left the girl he'd been helping and moved towards PJ. His first instinct was to disappear. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something predatory about the way the other boy crossed the store in his direction. He didn't pay any attention to where he was going, he just slipped between two clothing racks and hoped Spencer would give up and go away. PJ groaned as he heard the unmistakable sound of sandal clad feet following him close behind. Finally he grabbed something off a nearby rack and examined it closely without actually seeing it.

"Interesting choice in underwear." Spencer's deep, laughing voice rolled over PJ's shoulder. He jumped and nearly dropped the package of black man-thongs he had grabbed in his haste. The model on the front of the bag bore a striking resemblance to Spencer, tall, tan, freakishly handsome.

"Not my style." PJ managed to stammer. "Too skanky seems more like your thing." He said pressing the package against Spencer's stomach.

"I have some at home." Spencer smiled, sliding the thongs back on the spike they came from. PJ's face grew warm as his mind conjured a vision of Spencer in the tight underwear. "Nice purse by the way." PJ glanced down at Amy's pocketbook in his hand, seeing it for the first time. He grimaced, his hand curling into an involuntary fist. Pain lanced through his hand bright and hot, pulling a hiss from his lips. He had felt the stitch rip loose that time, tearing the skin that held it, bright red blood flowed to the surface of his bandage.

"Whoa, what did you do to your hand?" Spencer asked grabbing PJ's wrist holding it up above PJ's shoulder.

"I cut my hand on a piece of glass last night." PJ murmured, the pain was making him light headed. He struggled to take his hand back from Spencer.

"And you just ripped a stitch." Spencer nodded his face turning grim. He pressed his thumb firmly against the wound. PJ's breath caught in his throat for a moment before rushing out in a soft moan. Spencer pulled at his arm; PJ was too dizzy to struggle anymore. He allowed Spencer to lead him off the sale floor and into the back of the store.

He zoned out a moment, his eyes trailing over the smooth expanse of Spencer's back, his eyes tracking the flexing of muscles under the tanned skin. The next thing he knew his bandage was being pulled gently from his palm, and the back of his hand lay on the warm, hairless skin above Spencer's knee. He watched distantly as Spencer pulled a spray can out of a bag at their feet and aimed it at his palm. There was an instant of dizzying pain that caused his stomach to roil uncomfortably and the world to wobble violently then the pain dulled.

"Is this some sort of store promotion?" PJ asked when he finally managed to find his voice. "First aid for wounded customers?"

"Nope, just cute blondes bleeding on the carpet." Spencer murmured dabbing at his palm with a piece of gauze. PJ stared at the top of Spencer's bowed head, his eyebrows meeting over his nose. Spencer just called him cute. The taller boy reached back down into the bag beside him and pulled out a butterfly bandage. He peeled it carefully, pinched the skin around the open wound, and placed the band aid so that it held the ripped stitch closed. There was a moment of vague discomfort as he had pressed the wound closed, but the bandage held.

"How'd you learn to do that?" PJ asked as the other boy began wrapping fresh, clean gauze around his hand.

"I _was_ an Eagle Scout." He murmured without looking up, PJ was still felt kind of spacey but he didn't miss the bitter tone in his voice.

"What happened?" He asked quietly. Spencer taped the gauze in place and let go of PJ's hand, without bothering to remove it from its resting place on his leg.

"I kissed a boy and I liked it, the Boy Scouts don't go in for that kind of thing." Spencer said shaking hid head, a mirthless grin on his lips. PJ's stomach flipped gently before plunging to his feet.

"But…but…you went out with Teddy and Skylar." PJ murmured.

"Yeah, dating pretty girls is pretty much mandatory for the captain of the football team." Spencer said shrugging. "I really did like your sister, man. Just not like that, I didn't mean to hurt her. Could you tell her that for me?"

"Yeah, sure…" PJ began.

"PJ, PJ Duncan?" Amy's voice rang panicked through the store. PJ groaned and brushed his good hand across his forehead. He understood his mom was freaked out but she couldn't start treating him like he was seven years old again. "Patrick James Duncan!"

"I had better go find her before she starts tearing the place part." PJ said standing. The ground under his feet swayed a little but Spencer caught him before he could fall. PJ was pretty stable after the first few steps, but Spencer didn't let him go, and he didn't move his arm.

"Mom, chill." PJ called as they stepped through the swinging doors back into the main store. Amy's eyes flashed dangerously before they settled on PJ. The desperate anger slipped away. "What happened?" She asked rushing towards him.

"I ripped out one of my stitches." He said holding up his bandaged hand.

"I told you to be more careful." Her tone was part exasperation and part relief. "Do you want one of your pills?" She asked reaching out to take her purse she began pawing through it looking for the bottle.

"No." He shook his head. "Spencer sprayed it with something; it doesn't really hurt right now. She fell perfectly still before looking up, noticing Spencer at PJ's side for the first time.

"Spencer, how are you?" She asked her voice filling with false sincerity. Spencer shifted uncomfortably and pulled away from PJ. PJ instantly missed the warmth along his side.

"I'm good, Mrs. Duncan." He said taking a few steps back. "I should probably get back to work."

"Thanks for the first aid." PJ called after him, inwardly groaning at how lame that sounded.

"No problem," Spencer said turning. The crooked smile was back, he winked. "Anytime." He said before disappearing through the clothes. PJ felt the goofy smile spread across his face but he couldn't stop it not even if he wanted to. And he did, he recognized the smile, it was the same smile he had gotten the first time he met Skylar. There was no way he was going to crush on Spencer Reed.

"I guess we better head to the hospital." Amy said shaking her head as she walked towards the door.

"What? No." PJ groaned following behind her. "Spencer fixed it, no more needles."

"I really don't think a shirtless teenager can fix a busted stitch in the back room of a clothing store, PJ." Her lips twisted sympathetically. "I know you hate needles, but it won't heal if you don't take care of it."

"But it's not bleeding." He complained as they left the store. She paused and took his hand examining it.

"He did do a pretty good job." She said reluctantly. "Did he close the wound?"

"Yeah, he used this funny looking little Band-Aid." PJ nodded. She examined him for a moment, her lips twitching as thoughts ran through her head.

"You're sure it doesn't hurt?" She asked watching his face.

"Not really."

"Alright." She said shaking her head. "Let me pay for my stuff and we'll go to Game Paradise."

Teddy was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea cradled between her hands when they got home. When they walked through the door she jumped nearly upsetting the tea. PJ sighed and dropped the one bag that he had bought on the counter before sitting down at the table. Amy quietly left the kitchen, with bags hanging from both arms. The two oldest Duncan children sat in silence for a few moments. Teddy opened her mouth several times to say something, but each time she shut it without speaking. PJ could have started the conversation, but he wasn't looking forward to it and didn't want to help it along.

"Do you know why Uncle James killed himself?" She asked finally. PJ stared at her for a moment.

"Do you?" He asked finally. Teddy nodded taking a deep breath of air before responding.

"He was gay and he was afraid to tell Grampa." She said grimacing at the cold tea sitting in front of her. She stared at it a moment before realization spread across her face. She glanced up at PJ. "You have got to be kidding me!" He blinked at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Ivy is the only girl friend I've been able to keep since you went through puberty. She was the only one you didn't go after. With every other girl you did the whole blonde, cute, and stupid routine. She'd end up eating out of your hand. You'd date for a month or two, then you'd break up, and she would never speak to me again." She said glaring at him. "After all that, you tell me that you're gay?"

"Would you have rather had me chasing after your boyfriends?" He asked returning her glare in earnest. Teddy was the one person he hadn't been really afraid to tell, he figured it wouldn't matter. Of everyone she was having the worst reaction. And it was absolutely crazy to boot. She stared at him a moment before breaking into a laugh. He finally joined in.

"I guess you're right." She said after she managed to catch her breath. "So what's with the girl chasing if you're gay?"

"I don't know." He said shrugging uncomfortably. "I thought it was what I was supposed to do." He shook his head. "I figured if I kept looking I would find one I actually liked. When Skylar left I really missed her, but it wasn't like I was losing my girlfriend, it was like I was losing my best friend. We got to talking after I came back from New York, and she asked me if I was even sure I liked girls." Teddy started laughing again.

"What is so funny, you know I don't think I like baring my soul to you." PJ said pouting. Teddy barely managed to reel in her giggles.

"I'm sorry, I know this had to be hard on you, but that's just hilarious." She snorted and started laughing again.

"What?"

"PJ, Skylar was my friend but she wasn't very bright. It's kind of sad she's the one who had to tell you that you were gay."

"Yeah, if you're so smart why couldn't you tell me?" He asked frowning at her.

"Because I didn't know, no one knew. I mean you probably should have. Are you sure you like boys?" PJ thought back to his hand resting on Spencer's naked leg and that old familiar doofy grin spread across his face.

"Oh my god, you already found a guy." She said her mouth hanging open. "Who is he?" She asked grinning broadly. "Is it that little blonde guy that spent the night?"

"No, I didn't." PJ said quickly, a hint of panic entering his voice. He couldn't date Spencer, he wouldn't date Spencer. No matter how nice the guy had been to him he was still a jerk who had cheated on his sister and broken her heart. Besides how pathetic would it be to pouch his little sister's left-overs? "But I'm pretty sure I like guys. I guess I always did, I just didn't pay any attention to it."

"I'm not surprised." She said dryly. "Have you told anyone else yet?"

"Mom and Dad." PJ said shrugging.

"How did that go?" She asked leaning on the table.

"Well it was kind of a non issue with Mom. I didn't want to tell Dad but she kind of went crazy and got into his face over it, so I ended up having to tell him anyway." He said shaking his head ruefully. "But he was pretty cool about it too. You're the only one who freaked out."

"I'm sorry." She said sighing. "That was kind of cruddy of me. But you did date a lot of my friends." He shrugged apologetically. She stood up to go to her room.

"Teddy." He called after her.

"Huh?" She asked turning back towards the table.

"I saw Spencer today." He said struggling to keep his voice level. "He asked me to tell you something."

"What did that clumpnugget want?" She asked a bitter frown crossing her features.

"He wanted me to tell you that he never meant to hurt you." She went tense a moment, remembered pain filling her eyes before they froze over like winter ponds. She didn't say a word before trotting down the stairs to the basement.


	3. Ice Cream and Extortion

Title: Colorado Nights

By: D.C. Lakes

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Good Luck Charlie or any of its characters. The poor dears are the property of Disney.

After Teddy left the kitchen PJ went up to his room. It had only been a day since his mother had came in his room to find him crying but it felt like it had been a week. He groaned appreciatively as he flopped onto his bed, wiggling and nestling himself into the soft mattress. Gabe had hockey practice so he had the room to himself for a couple more hours at least. He wanted nothing more than to take a nap. He felt the dull weight of emotional exhaustion like a heavy comforter across his whole body. His head had barely touched to pillow before he was asleep and dreaming.

He was walking down the sidewalk, slouching in his favorite jacket, his hands crammed into his pockets. There was soft chill in the breeze that ruffled his hair, but the sun was warm against his back and he was happy. He had nowhere to be, nothing to do, nothing on his mind but the beautiful day lounging all around him. He made a turn on the sidewalk without making a conscious decision to do it. His feet had a mind of their own and he was only to happy to go along for the ride. The street where he lived was as familiar to him as the back of his hand. The Pendergasts and Donaldson's lived on either side of him. The Pendergasts were an elderly couple. Mr. Pendergast like fly fishing and he had paid PJ to rake his leaves up until PJ got a job at the Kwikki Chikki. Mrs. Pendergast had won prizes for the roses that filled their front and back yards. When PJ was twelve she had let him have twelve of her prized long stem roses to give to Becky Smith for Valentines Day. The Donaldson's were around his parent's age. They didn't have children. Mr. Donaldson was a professor at Denver University; his wife was the librarian at an elementary school. When he was nine PJ had accidentally broken one of their windows with a baseball. Mrs. Donaldson had invited him in for milk and cookies when he went to apologize. She told him she had been wanting to replace the picture window with a bay for a couple of months and hadn't been able to come up with a good reason. Mrs. Dabney lived behind his house; her backyard was separated from his by a tall wooden fence. It had been a lot shorter back before Gabe was born.

PJ was so engrossed in his memory he didn't notice Spencer sitting on his front porch until his hand was on the front door. Spencer cleared his throat softly, his eyes twinkling with amusement as PJ turned and noticed him.

"Teddy still doesn't want to talk to you." PJ said shrugging his shoulder's apologetically.

"That's okay; I didn't come here to see Teddy." Spencer said standing. PJ eyes fluttered shut as Spencer smooth his warm hand across his cheek. His fingers were long and slender but strong. PJ leaned his face against the steady warmth as Spencer's finger tips stirred through the hair at the back of his head, scratching softly as his scalp. Having his head scratched was something PJ enjoyed almost more than kissing.

"I can't do this." He murmured, struggling to pull himself from the sleepy euphoria that had fogged over his brain. "You dumped Teddy and broke her heart. I couldn't do that to her."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." Spencer murmured leaning forward to press a kiss against the corner of PJ's lips. A steady trickle of gentle kisses followed it, moving down the long line of PJ's throat. He groaned and whispered the boy's name, his voice hoarse with the need to feel more.

The slamming of his bedroom door tore PJ from his dream. He bolted upright in his bed and looked sleepily around the room for what had caused the noise. He had just pulled on his shoes when Amy knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" He called foggily.

"What happened in here?" Amy asked opening the door. "Gabe just ran out of the house." She said crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know." PJ said instantly going on the defensive, his tone turning irritable. "I was asleep." His dream began flooding back to his mind. "Do I talk in my sleep?" He asked his eyes going wide with panic.

"I…I don't know." Amy arms fell to her side with surprise. "I think you did when you were younger, why?"

"I was dreaming about Spencer." PJ said brushing past her into the hallway.

"Wait you were dreaming about Spencer, Teddy's Spencer?" She asked turning to follow him. "PJ…" She began her voice pinched with concern.

"No time." He said as he started down the stairs. He ran through the living room and out the front door. Bob was sitting on the couch with Charlie on his lap watching a children's show. He watched as his oldest son ran out the door. He ran his fingers through Charlie's blonde hair and glanced over his shoulder at his wife.

"What's going on around here today?" He asked.

"I honestly have no idea." She said brushing he hands back over her hair agitatedly.

PJ ran down the block calling Gabe's name at the top of his lungs. He had been dreaming about Spencer there's no telling what Gabe had heard. His reaction could only mean it wasn't good. His lungs were burning and he had a stitch in his side. He stopped and bent over; resting his hands on his knees, and tried to catch his breath. There were only so many places his little brother could be, Gabe wasn't allowed to leave the block without someone older with him. But there were a million places he could hide on the block and he knew them all. PJ could only remember a few places they had ferreted Gabe out of before but it was a good place to start.

He checked under the big hydrangea in Mrs. Dabney's back yard. It was a dangerous place to hide because if she caught you there she'd hose you, but not a lot of people wanted to be caught poking around the substantial woman's house. But Gabe wasn't there. He checked up in the trees at the Lawson's. They had cut the lowest limbs to discourage kids from climbing them, but Gabe could still get into the limbs when he wanted to, but he wasn't there either. He headed back towards the house on the off chance that Gabe had turned around and gone home after he left.

He was standing on the front porch when he remembered that Gabe liked to hide in the bushes in the back yard. He was about of foot away from the big, fluffy, green bushes when he heard a soft sniffling sound. He sat down and crossed his knees and dropped his hands onto them. He waited for about ten minutes but Gabe had said anything.

"What's up, Gabe?" PJ finally spoke. Gabe would sit in the bushes and ignore him all night if he didn't do something.

"You're a queer." Gabe said his voice raw with tears. PJ blinked and shifted uncomfortably. It was the first time anyone had said anything like that to him, and it stung more than he thought it would.

"Yeah, I guess I am." He said after a while. Gabe was already upset, it wouldn't help anything to get offended and gripe at him.

"That is so gross." Gabe groaned from inside the hedges.

"What?"

"Kissing boys." Gabe said as if talking to a particularly dense dog. PJ grinned; at least he hadn't totally blown his little brother's mind.

"Gabe you still think kissing girls is gross." PJ laughed.

"Yeah, well…kissing boys is worse." Gabe said poking his head out of leaves right in front of PJ.

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree." PJ said shrugging, and amicable smile plastered on his face.

"Why are you doing this?" Gabe asked his face scrunching up. "You like girls, you dated girls, you even kissed girls. Why do you like boys now? Did you run out of girls?" PJ couldn't help but snicker at the last comment.

"Okay, think of it like this." PJ said after a moment of thought. "All your life people told you that you liked vanilla ice cream. So you like vanilla ice cream, that's all you ate. Then suddenly one day you realize that you don't really like vanilla ice cream and you've just been eating it because that's what people told you to like."

"And boys are chocolate." Gabe said sarcastically.

"I was actually thinking Strawberry." PJ said shrugging.

"I don't like strawberry." Gabe said making a face.

"You don't have to, just like I don't have to like vanilla." Gabe looked like he was thinking over it for a minute. He finally came out of the bush and sat down a couple feet from PJ.

"Teddy's going to kill you if she finds out you're dreaming about Spencer." Gabe said smiling broadly. PJ winced. Gabe was definitely back to his old self again.

"What do you want?" He asked wearily.

"I need an expansion pack for Gates of Lothor III."

"How much is it?" PJ asked sighing.

"Forty." PJ groaned and started fishing for his wallet.

"It's not like you've got a date to go on." Gabe said grinning wickedly.

"I was saving up for a new amp." He said pouting as he handed the money over.

"Think of all the money you'll save not taking girls on all those dates." Gabe said shrugging his shoulders.

"You know I'll find a guy eventually right?"

"Make him pay for it." Gabe said as he stood up and walked towards the house.

PJ stared at the grass between his feet. He was screwed. He couldn't like Spencer Walsh. Even if he hadn't meant any harm, he had been Teddy's first broken heart. She would never forgive him if he went out with the tall, dark haired boy. There was only one problem. He did like Spencer. It might be just a crush but it was going to get worse before it got better.


	4. Denver Night

PJ had a shift at the Kwikki Chikki. He was dressed in his black dress pants, yellow polo, and ridiculous chicken-combed hat. Larry the delivery driver had gotten another DWI and PJ had to fill in for him. He didn't really mind doing deliveries. It was better than standing behind the counter all the time waiting for someone to make an order. It was way better than cooking. When he had had to operate the friars he came home covered in grease and stinking of chicken. Half the time he ended up getting pimples and having to wash his hair two or three times just to get it clean.

Driving wasn't so bad. He had time to himself when he was on his way to or from a delivery. It wasn't a lot of time and the manager blasted him if he took too long, but it was still better than being stuck in the restaurant all the time. He liked the people he delivered to too. A lot of them were older. A lot of them were a little older than him. He got to know their names and their faces. He had even memorized most of the addressed so he knew who he was delivering to.

Of course there were always random new addressed thrown in to the mix; people who ordered once and never made the same mistake again. He had just been handed a bucket with a new address on it. The address was from the nicer side of town. The neighborhood where he lived was no hole, but it was mostly lower middle class. The address was in a neighborhood that was ritzy, UMC all the way. He couldn't believe someone from that neighborhood was ordering Kwikki Chikki.

He straightened his hat, feeling ridiculous, as he headed towards the front door. It was probably the first time someone with a foam cockscomb on their head had even been in that neighborhood much less delivered food there. He knocked on the door and began to get nervous. What if the call had been a prank? He had to provide his own gas when he was doing deliveries. It would suck if he wasted all that money driving out to the nice side of town and didn't even get a tip.

The door opened and PJ almost dropped the bucket. Spencer Walsh stood framed in the doorway, bathed in warm yellow light from somewhere in the house. He had traded out his board shorts for a towel and washed off the ridiculous orange bronzer he wore for work and his skin glowed a healthy, if paler, color.

"Chicken." PJ said numbly holding out the bucket.

"Oh hi, PJ." Spencer said smiling. "I forgot you worked at Kwikki Chikki." PJ locked eyes with Spencer and refused to let his wander. If he did he would never make it back to the restaurant in one piece.

"Uh…yeah, since before you and Teddy were dating." He said reminding himself why Spencer was off limits.

"Right." Spencer said chuckling. "Let me grab my wallet." He turned and retreated into the house, leaving the door open behind him. PJ tried to control himself, but his eyes tracked down the taller boy's back, down to the towel. It was tied lower on his hips than the board shorts he wore at work revealing two prefect dimples low on his back. PJ made a sound that was somewhere between a growl, a moan, and a whimper. "Did you say something?" Spencer said returning with his wallet.

"No, nothing." PJ said quickly. His voice came out high and squeaky.

"Oh, okay." Spencer said grinning. He handed PJ one bill. "This is for the chicken." Then he handed him another. "This is for the delivery boy." PJ took the second bill without looking at it.

"Thanks." He said nodding gratefully. "Why are you eating this crap?" PJ asked. He was startled by the words coming out of his mouth. He just wanted to get back to his car so he could far, far away from the brazen sex god known as Spencer Walsh.

"My parents are at the opera. Sometimes I just like to order something that could kill me and pig out." Spencer said grinning wickedly. "Don't you ever do something you know his bad for you just for the hell of it?" PJ stared at him without answering. That was exactly what he was trying not to do. But he was beginning to feel like one of those antelopes on the Serengeti, and Spencer looked like a hungry lion. "How is your hand?"

"It's starting to itch like crazy." PJ sighed running the bandage over the rough material of his jeans. "Mom says it means it's healing, but now I know why they put those plastic cones around dogs' heads." Spencer laughed. "I better get going." PJ said gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

He almost fell as he turned and nearly ran back to the car. If God was good there would be a sudden cold snap so he could ride back to the restaurant with the windows down. Back in the car he looked down at the bill Spencer had said was for him. It was a twenty. It was definitely the biggest tip he had ever gotten. He pulled out his wallet and flipped the twenty. He stopped and stared. Spencer's number was written across the face of the bill. PJ swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbed audibly in his throat. He threw the car in reverse and pulled out of the Walsh's driveway, his tires screamed against the asphalt as turned back towards the center of town.

The smart thing would have been to spend the bill as quickly as possible, remove the temptation. PJ tried, but at the last minute he ended up digging his wallet back out to pass the cashier another one. The rest of the night his mind played tricks on him. He felt like he could feel the twenty in his pocket, as if it gave off a gentle heat. At times he expected to see smoke puffing up out of his back pocket.

When his shift finally ended he went out to his car in the parking lot and pulled the twenty out of his wallet. He spread it out across the steering wheel and stared at the numbers. What did it mean?

Of course one possibility was glaringly obvious. When PJ had given a girl his number or gotten her number it was to get a date. But that couldn't have been it. Spencer didn't know he was gay. It had to be something else, but he couldn't fathom what it could be. Sighing in frustration he crammed the twenty back in his pocket without bothering to fold it into his wallet. He did his best to push Spencer Walsh and all the confusion that he caused out of his mind as he pulled out and drove home.

PJ had the house to himself. Gabe was at one of his friend's houses, his dad was still at work, his mom and Charlie had a play date, and Teddy was hanging out with Ivy. It didn't happen often; he smiled as he headed into the kitchen.

After grabbing a bag of cheese doodles and something to drink PJ trotted up the stairs taking them two at a time. Less than five seconds after closing his bedroom door he was stripped to his boxers and socks, stretched out across his bed, eating cheese doodles and listening to music. Who needs a hunk when you have junk food and a Gabe-free room?

By the time the doorbell rang PJ was sound asleep, four streaks of bright orange cheese powder staining the pale white skin of his stomach. He jumped and nearly tripped as he tugged on his pants and pulled on the unbuttoned shirt he had worn to school over his t-shirt. He padded quickly down the stairs and over to the door, holding the shirt closed as he opened it.

Spencer was standing on the front porch, one elbow propped against the doorframe, his arm dangling lazily over his head. PJ's hand dropped away from his shirt and landed on his hip as he stared up at the taller boy. Spencer's eyes flashed brightly as he broke into a cocky smile.

"What are you doing here?" He asked grimacing at the taller boy. He had made a resolution to stop falling to pieces every time the gorgeous guy was around. It took a little effort not to go foggy between the ears but he managed. "I was in the middle of a nap." PJ said rolling his eyes.

"I can see that." Spencer's eyes raked up and down PJ's body in a way that made him shift uncomfortably. He was thinking pretty seriously about slamming the door in his face. "Cheese curls in bed." He clicked his tongue shaking his head. Before PJ could react Spencer's long fingers reached out and brushed across his stomach then disappeared into his mouth. PJ stood still for a moment both startled and disturbed by the tingle than spread through his belly in the wake of Spencer's touch.

"What is your problem, man?" PJ said, finally reacting. He closed his shirt and made a feeble attempt to button it. Spencer didn't respond, but continued to lick imaginary specks of cheese dust from his slender fingers. PJ found himself watching dazedly as Spencer's pink tongue slid out between his lips flicking at each finger slowly, deliberately. He felt a strange stirring in the pit of his stomach as his own tongue flicked out to slide over his lips. "Where to you get off?" He asked snapping free of Spencer's magnetic pull.

"I'm sorry, after what happened at the store and the way you looked at me when you delivered my chicken…" Spencer took a step back his cocky expression melting into a shocked one. He looked like he might be ill.

"That's not what I'm talking about. You dated Teddy. My sister, I don't care whether you meant to hurt her or not, you can't just show up at my house, her house, and molest me!" PJ snapped pushing his hair back away from his forehead. "I'm her big brother and that might not mean anything to an only child like you. She might even pretend it doesn't mean anything to her anymore. But if I let anything happen with you it would hurt her more than you ever did." PJ started to close the door in his face but Spencer caught it. He was surprisingly strong. Once his fingers were wrapped around the wood PJ couldn't budge it.

"I know I really messed up, okay?" Spencer said, holding the door against all of PJ's weight didn't seem to strain him at all. "I should have cut the stupid shit and asked the right Duncan out in the first place. But I didn't because I really didn't think there was any chance that you would say yes." PJ stopped trying to force the door closed and just leaned against it.

"What do you mean 'the right Duncan'?" PJ asked warily.

"I mean that I heard your band playing at one of my friend's parties. And most of it was crap…"

"You're not doing yourself any favors." PJ grumbled, but he didn't make any move to shut the door.

"But you started singing that one song…. "My Window's Always Open". And it was like the light around you got brighter…" Spencer said trailing off. "My Window" was one of the few slow songs they played. PJ had written it himself and had to argue with Emmett for hours before he would agree to play it. He was beginning to wish he hadn't bothered. "So I asked around school about you and found out Teddy was your sister. I figured if I couldn't have the real deal then I could at least date the next best thing."

"Yeah, Teddy's not anyone's consolation prize." PJ said reaching up he started trying to pry Spencer's fingers from the door. Spencer pulled his hand away.

"No! Wait. That came out wrong." He pleaded.

"Just go away and stay away from me." PJ said sighing. "I don't care; it's not worth hurting Teddy." He slammed the door and locked it. He headed back up to his room, this time trudging up the stairs instead of running. He watched Spencer pull away from his bedroom window. What they said was true, boys are stupid. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it into the corner then crawled into his bed curling up into a ball.

Gabe came home from Andy's house a couple hours later. He dropped his backpack in the living room and ran upstairs. He stopped just inside his bedroom door. PJ was lying on top of his covers curled into a ball. His back was moving like he was crying. Gabe sighed and walked over to flop down on his bed.

"Is this something that's going to happen a lot now that you're gay?" He asked staring at the ceiling. "It's okay; I'd just kind of like to know."

"I was always gay, Gabe." PJ said without moving. "I just didn't know it." His voice sounded a little rough, but not as bad as Gabe had expected.

"Okay, but I mean now that you know are you going to be crying a lot more often?"

"I just had a rough day, okay? Just leave me alone." PJ said, still tucked up in his ball.

"Do you want me to go get Mom or something?" Gabe asked climbing off his bed uneasily, he went for the doorknob.

"No!" PJ unrolled and sprang halfway across the room so quickly that Gabe flinched. PJ closed their bedroom door and leaned against it. "You can't tell Mom."

"Are you in trouble or something?" Gabe asked crossing his arms over his chest. "Is someone picking on you because you're gay?" Teasing PJ was one thing, he was a little brother it was his job. But no one was allowed to make fun of PJ because he liked boys; it was lower than Gabe was willing to stoop.

"No." PJ said swiping at the tear tracks on his face.

"Is this about Spencer?" Gabe asked his eyes narrowing. He hadn't heard PJ say the name in his sleep again since the first time, but that had been enough to root itself deeply in Gabe's brain. PJ liked Spencer, enough to dream about him. Gabe didn't know why, the guy was a jerk.

"No." PJ said again, this time he swallowed. PJ was a terrible liar and Gabe had lived with him long enough to know all of his tells.

"I'm getting Mom." Gabe said reaching around his brother for the door knob. He managed to open it an inch before PJ leaned back closing it.

"No, no, no." He said, almost chanting. "You can't tell Mom about this. It is so messed up and I don't want to have to explain to her. You know how mad she was after Teddy and Spencer broke up. She wanted to kill him. If she finds out I'm crushing on him she's going to kill me!"

"I am not old enough to deal with this." Gabe protested pulling on the door again. "You need professional help."

"I'm dealing with it."

"Yeah, curling up into a ball and crying on your bed is a good way to deal with it." Gabe said crossing his arms again. "What happened anyway?" PJ stared at him a moment.

"I'll tell you if you promise not to go to Mom." He said finally.

"Deal." Gabe said sighing. He walked over and sat down on his bed. Instead of moving PJ just slid down and sat in front of the door. He knew some of Gabe's tricks too.

"Spencer came over today, while I was here by myself." PJ began; his arms were wrapped around his knees, his fingers laced in front. He was staring off into space. Gabe popped off the bed.

"That's it, I'm getting Mom." He said. "I don't care if I have to climb out the window. If he touched you then someone needs to kill him." He actually turned to open their bedroom window.

"What?" PJ asked his eyes going wide. "He didn't do anything to me, Gabe. He just told me that the only reason he dated Teddy was because he didn't think he could have me." Gabe froze his hand still on the lock. It was ridiculously juicy; it was the kind of information he could have used to wreak havoc. But he couldn't use it, if he turned something like that loose the whole family would go to war.

"What did you do?" He asked his hand dropping to his side.

"I told him that it didn't matter." PJ said shrugging. A fresh tear rolled down his cheek. "I told him to stay away from me."

"You really do like him, don't you?" Gabe asked sitting back on his bed. He was confused and way out of his depth, whatever was going on was one of those things he wouldn't understand until he was older and girls stopped being gross. But he didn't like what he was seeing.

"Like I said, it doesn't matter." PJ said standing up. He went back over to his bed and slipped under the covers, pulling them up to his shoulder. Gabe got up and walked out.

About fifteen minutes later Amy walked in and closed the door behind her. She walked straight over to PJ's bed and slipped in behind him. He had uncurled a little and had burrowed against the wall; there was just enough room for her to stretch out along the edge of the bed. PJ stirred but didn't come out from under his blanket.

"What's going on, PJ?" Amy asked reaching out to lay her hand on his back.

"Aw, Gabe!" PJ groaned shoving the blanket off of him.

"He didn't say a word." Amy said riffling her fingers through his hair.

"He didn't have to." PJ grumbled, turning over onto his back, one hand going behind his head. "When he'd trying to hide something he can act cool. When I tell him not to say anything suddenly he can't lie to save his life."

"He worries about you." She said shrugging. "So are you going to tell me what's going on, or do I have to go get it out of your brother."

"If he says a word I'll hang him out the window by his underwear."

"PJ, seriously, what is going on? You have never bucked up and kept a secret from me like this." She sighed and pressed her hands against her face. "Is this something I need to worry about? Are you in trouble?"

"He's in love with Spencer." Gabe said poking his head through the door. PJ let out a low growl and tried to leap over his mother to get to him. Gabe ducked back out into the hall and closed the door. Amy wrapped her arm around PJ's stomach and hauled him back on the bed. He fell back against the wall and she kept one hand on his shoulder holding him down. His face had turned bright red, his breath came out in ragged pants, and he stared at the closed door murderously. She didn't take her hand away until his breath slowed.

"Spencer Walsh?" She asked incredulously. PJ sighed and covered his face. He didn't want to see her face. "How did that happen?" She didn't sound as angry as he expected.

"The day you took me shopping and I busted the stitch in my hand…" He began dropping his hands back to his lap. He was leaning back against the wall, one knee pulled up to his chest, the other crossed under it.

"I remember." She said nodding.

"I pulled the stitch because I wanted to slug him." PJ said laughing. It wasn't a happy sound. "But the minute I started bleeding he went into Boy Scout mode. He grabbed my hand and put pressure on the wound and dragged me off into the back of the store." She nodded. The expression on her face was neutral; she was just listening to his story. "He _was_ a Boy scout. They kicked him out because he's gay." For the first time her expression changed. Her eyes widened slightly. She'd been prepared to deal with unrequited love, even if it was with the boy who'd dumped Teddy. But this, this blindsided her. She sat there speechless. "He dropped by the house today." He leaned forward, resting his cheek against his upraised knee, his hands folded near his foot. "He told me that the only reason he dated Teddy was because he thought he couldn't have me."

"Oh crap." Amy said dazedly. It wasn't the most intelligent thing she'd ever said, it certainly wasn't articulate. But it was the best she could manage; she was actually surprised she'd managed to say anything. This was exactly the kind of thing that could set PJ and Teddy at each other's throats, the kind of thing that turned siblings into strangers, the kind of thing that tore families apart. She didn't know what to do.

"I told him to stay away from me. It wasn't worth hurting Teddy." He had thought there weren't any tears left. But as he spoke those words they started fresh, his shoulders started shaking again. Every time he said them his chest tightened and his stomach flipped.

"Oh, PJ." She whispered. She drew him away from the wall. He curled up on the bed beside her, his head on her chest. She stroked his hair as he cried. It had barely been a week since they were in the same room, her holding him as he sobbed. It was the second time she'd sat with one of her children as they'd cried over Spencer Walsh. She felt for the kid, teenage boys were stupid, and he had done something brainless because he was in a bad situation, but his mistakes kept coming back to haunt her family.

PJ eventually cried himself asleep. Amy kissed the top of his head and slid from underneath him. She pulled the blanket back over his naked shoulders and ruffled his head one more time before heading downstairs. Bob was sitting on the couch with Charlie. He shot to his feet when Amy picked her purse and keys off the table. He trotted over and got between her and the door.

"Amy, Amy, Amy, where're you going?" He asked spreading his arms out like a basketball player. He didn't even know what had happened upstairs, but he didn't like what he was seeing. She didn't have the wild look in her eyes that he had come to dread. But the determined twist in her lips made him nervous.

"I'm going to talk to Spencer." She said. She didn't try to dart around him. She just stopped and stared at him.

"Wait, what?" Bob dropped his arms and scratched the fringe of hair at the top of his head. "What's going on?" She sighed tightening her fingers on her purse strap. She didn't want to stop and explain herself. She needed to go.

"I'll tell you when I get back." She said shifting her weight from hip to hip.

"No, if I let you leave this house without telling me what's going on they'll charge me as an accessory." He said smiling anxiously.

"PJ is upstairs crying." She said pressing her hand against her forehead. "He….he's in love with Spencer. Well its puppy love, but he's miserable anyway." She said shaking her head.

"How did this happen?" He asked rubbing his head.

"The day after PJ cut his hand I took him shopping. We got in the store where Spencer works and PJ ripped a stitch. Spencer took him in the back and re-bandaged it. They started talking and Spencer told PJ he was gay."

"So why is he crying now?" Bob asked.

"Spencer came by the house today." She said crossing her arms. "He told PJ that the only reason he dated Teddy was because he figured he couldn't have PJ." She said biting her lip.

"That doesn't make any sense." Bob said shaking his head. "I mean if he liked PJ why did he ask Teddy out? Why not just go find another blonde boy?"

"He's a teenage boy, Bob. They don't think things through." She said laughing. "He wanted PJ; he couldn't have PJ so he went out with the closest thing he could find." She said shrugging. "Anyway PJ told him to stay away. And it broke his heart."

"He knows Spencer's a jerk." Bob said sighing. "Why is he taking it this so hard?"

"Bob, we decided that Spencer was a jerk because it was our kid at home crying. We don't know why he did what he did. "

"So you're going to go find out." He said nodding. "Why?"

"Because PJ is a wreck and he's already been through a lot already." She said wringing her hands together. "I just need to know." There was no way the situation would turn out to be anything less than a nightmare. But if she was going to have to deal with it anyway she wanted to know where all the bombs were going to fall.

"Okay. Just don't slug the kid, he's a minor." Bob said smiling as he stepped aside, opening the door for her.

"I won't." She said slipping out the door and into the night.

A/N: A helpful reader pointed out a few mistakes to me the other day. Diogenes250 noted that I had misspelled Kwikki Chikki. I suppose that was something I should have looked up before I began writing. He also mentioned that PJ's name was revealed to be Paddy John in an episode while I gave his name as Patrick James Duncan. I wrote the chapter before that episode aired. At the time PJ had no canonical name. So I took some artistic license. In the same vein the nightmarish parents I gave Amy are a far cry from the psychotic but harmless parents revealed in the Christmas movie. Again it is artistic license. I'm writing a dramatic fan fiction based on characters I love.


	5. Heart of Night

Title: Colorado Nights

By: D.C. Lakes

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Good Luck Charlie or any of its characters. The poor dears are the property of Disney.

Amy's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The street lights strobed into the car as she drove down the highway towards Spencer's neighborhood. After Teddy caught him cheating she had wanted to kill the kid. She was just enraged that someone had dared to cheat on her baby girl. But as she drove she kept trying to think of Spencer in the same terms that she would use for PJ. If PJ had been stupid enough to date two girls at one time she would have been pissed at him for sure. But she would have written it off as him being an idiot lost in the teenage wasteland.

She knew that wasteland was even less hospitable for gay kids. The ones who were brave came out and usually suffered for their bravery. Others did everything to keep up the illusion that they were just like everyone else. Just then she remembered that Spencer was the captain of the football team. He was under and intensely bright spotlight. The pressure to maintain the masquerade had to be crippling. She took this all into consideration as she pulled onto Spencer's street. It left her with one question that he needed to answer.

Spencer's mother answered the door. She was dressed in a smart, tunic style sweater, flowing dress pants, and dainty little shoes. Amy was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a hoody that PJ had outgrown last year. Both were clean and in good shape, but they paled in comparison. Mrs. Walsh looked like a business woman relaxing at home. Amy looked like a college student, or a babysitter.

"Is Spencer home?" She asked feeling ridiculous. Mrs. Walsh shifted her weight and raised one hand up to her chin as if she were standing in a museum critiquing a work of art. From the expression on her face it seemed like she found it lacking.

"You're that Duncan woman from the news aren't you?" She asked finally. Amy gritted her teeth at the condescending tone the woman used.

"Yes, I'm Teddy Duncan's mother." Amy said struggling to keep her voice even. The words came out icy, but not impolite.

"Ah, Teddy." Mrs. Walsh said smiling. "How is she?" Amy realized that everything that came out of the woman's mouth sounded condescending. It must have been something she was taught in charm school.

"She's doing fine." Amy said nodding, her tone more relaxed. "I'm actually here about my son PJ." The woman in the door froze, turning into a perfect ice sculpture, right down to the frosty glitter in her pale grey eyes. Amy had the sudden premonition that she would have perfectly coifed chunks of hair wrapped around her claws before the night was over. She promised Bob she wouldn't slug Spencer, she hadn't said anything about flooring his mother.

"Mom, who's at the door?" Spencer asked appearing behind his mother. He looked up and went pale as he caught sight of Amy. She gave him a smile that she hoped was reassuring, but he only seemed to blanch more. "Hello, Mrs. Duncan." He murmured. His voice had gone low and she thought she heard a bit of a tremor.

"Spencer, I'm just here to talk to you about what's been happening with PJ. No one's in trouble. No one's angry; I just need to talk to you." Spencer's eyes slid to the side, looking nervously at his mother. Amy felt the urge to tear into the frigid woman flare up again.

"Spencer, I'll leave you alone to deal with this…situation." She said her nose curling. She turned and walked away, disappearing into the depths of the house without another word. Spencer stepped down onto the porch, pulling the door shut behind him. He stood stiffly with his hands in his pockets, staring down at his feet.

"Would you like to go for a ride?" Amy asked smiling softly again. "I promise not to kill you and dump you on the side of the freeway." His eyes snapped up to her, wide and startled. She laughed and he relaxed a little. "I'm serious, Spencer, everything is okay."

"A ride sounds great." He said nodding his head, smiling meekly as she turned and walked back down the walkway. He hesitated a moment before climbing into the car.

"Is everything alright with your mother?" Were the first words out of Amy's mouth once both doors closed.

"She's still…um…getting used to the whole gay thing." Spencer said chuckling softly. There was an undercurrent of fear in that laugh that Amy didn't like. She worked her lips together for a moment, giving herself time to calm down before speaking again. "Does she hit you?" Spencer twitched visibly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm a nurse, Spencer. I can always take you to the hospital, I can figure out some reason you need an examination." It was a boldfaced lie. She couldn't do anything medical without parental consent. But apparently he didn't know that.

"She just gets a little mad sometimes." Spencer said shifting in his seat again.

"Do you have any bruises on you now?" Amy asked pulling over onto the shoulder of the road a couple of blocks down from the Walsh house.

"I thought we were going to talk about PJ." Spencer said staring out the windshield. She reached over and took his chin in her hand. He flinched, as her fingers touched his skin.

"That's what I came here to talk about. But that's not what we're talking about right now. Do you have any bruises right now?" Her tone was flat and cold, Spencer squirmed as a shiver ran through his body. She didn't want to terrorize the boy, but like it or not he was a part of her life, she couldn't take him back to that house if he wasn't going to be safe. Spencer's eyes flicked away from hers, he reached down and pulled up the tail of the sweatshirt he was wearing. A vivid bruise in yellows, purples, and greens was splashed across his ribs and part of his stomach. Amy's breath hissed between her teeth. She took her hand away from Spencer's jaw and pulled back onto the road, spinning the car into a u-turn.

"Where are we going?" Spencer asked tensing in his seat.

"To the hospital." Amy, teeth were clenched so tightly it was giving her a headache. She was going twenty miles over the speed limit. If she didn't get out of the neighborhood fast she was going to end up going back to the Walsh's house. And if she did that there was no way she would walk away without spending a night in jail. If she went to jail Spencer would probably be sent home, and the bitch would probably beat him again.

"I showed you the bruise." He protested his voice panicked.

"Spencer, we're going to the hospital for documentation." She said without taking her eyes off the road. She caught a glimpse of the Walsh's driveway flashing by as she drove past. He sighed and sunk into his seat.

"Why are you doing this to me?" He sounded on the verge of tears.

"Because my son cares about you, and I love my son. And no one, no one, deserves to be beaten by the one person he's supposed to be able to trust above anyone else." Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel, popping one after the other. Spencer turned to look at her.

"He told me to stay away from him." A tear escaped his eye, a strobe of streetlight caught it as it fell, transforming it into a diamond.

"Yeah, then he went upstairs and cried himself to sleep." She said shaking her head. "I need to ask you a question. I'm going to help you no matter what you say, so don't lie to me. I need to know." She saw him nod slowly out of the corner of her eye. "You told PJ the only reason you dated Teddy was because you thought he was straight. Is that true?"

"I didn't mean it the way it sounded, Mrs. Duncan." He said frantically. "I really did like PJ, do I mean. But he was always with a girl so I figured I didn't have a chance. I had to have a girlfriend. If the captain of the football team doesn't have a girlfriend people start talking." It was what she had suspected.

"If you had known back then, that PJ was gay. What would you have done?" She asked. They were stopped at a red light. There were ten more blocks between them and the hospital.

"What do you mean?" He asked confused.

"I don't think it was a hard question, Spencer." She said shaking her head. She wasn't going to give him any help, she wanted honest answers.

"You mean, would I have asked PJ out instead of Teddy?" He asked, his hand were clasped between his knees and he was staring down at them.

"Well that's a good start." She said shrugging.

"It would have been the end of football, probably the end of my social life at school." He said still staring down at his hands. Amy sat quietly waiting for him to answer. "But yeah, I think he's probably worth it." Her life would have been easier if he had said anything else, but he hadn't. Of course Amy Blankenhooper Duncan's life had never been easy. Maybe someone behind the scenes was afraid she'd get bored.

"One more question." She said, glancing at him again. "We're almost there." He nodded again. "Why did you date Teddy and Skylar at the same time if you weren't really interested in either of them?" Spencer sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I really did like Teddy, Mrs. Duncan. I liked spending time with her; she was like my best friend…" He said trailing off.

"So why date Skylar behind her back?" They were in the hospital parking lot. Amy killed the engine and sat back in her seat waiting for him to answer.

"Teddy is really smart, and pretty." He said waving his hands in the air. "She's a really good girl." Spencer scrubbed at his face with his hands. "The guys on the team really didn't seem that impressed that I was dating a good girl."

"So you dated Skylar." Amy prompted. "She seemed like a good girl to me."

"She is, but she's not very smart. And the guys, well they just assume girls like that are…easy." He said his voice tight as if he expected her to tear into him at any moment.

"I know, I was a teenager once too, Spencer." She said shaking her head.

"I know you probably think I'm a coward, and I guess you're right…"

"I don't think you're a coward, Spencer." She said slipping him a sad smile. "I think you're a little boy who did his best to fit in and hide from something that scared him. You made some mistakes, but we all do. I kind of wish my kids hadn't wound up as collateral damage, but I don't hate you for what happened." She reached down and opened the car door.

"Do we have to do this?" He asked his voice shaking again. She reached over and squeezed his hand, he didn't flinch away.

"Spencer you're seventeen years old. I know you think you're all grown up, but you're still a child. You'll be a child even after the law stops treating you like one, but right now you're legally still a minor. How often does this happen?"

"Every couple of weeks." He said quietly. "It normally isn't this bad, not since I got kicked out of scouts, but she was really mad yesterday." He shook his head, she saw fresh tears slide town his face. "She didn't use to be like this."

"Your rib could be cracked, maybe even broken." She said softly. "What did she hit you with?" He swallowed before answering.

"Um…a pool cue from Dad's study." He said, his voice was thick with tears.

"The bruising on your stomach, she could have caused internal bleeding, Spencer. You understand why I can't just take you back there, right?" He nodded and swiped at his tear streaked face. "Does your father know about this?"

"No." Spencer said shaking his head. "He…he moved out a couple months before everything started happening. She…uh…she started drinking. The day I came home and told her I got kicked out of scouts she slapped me across the face. It really surprised me, you know, I fell in the floor and she just started kicking me. I didn't think she was going to stop." His voice broke into a keening wail. Amy pushed her car door open and went around to the passenger's side. She pulled the door open and put her hand on the boy's arm, pulling him gently out of the car. Once he was standing she wrapped one arm around his waist, it was as high as she could reach without touching his bruise, and lead him towards the hospital. She didn't ask anymore questions. She couldn't do it, not to him and not to herself. There was a lump building in her throat and it was burning. She led him into the ER waiting room, sat him in a chair, then went to the registration desk.

"That's not one of your kids, Amy." The nurse working the desk was one that Amy worked with from time to time. They weren't close friends, but they had exchanged brag books during lunch. "Is he legal?"

"He's seventeen." Amy said, forcing the words around the lump in her throat. Her eyes stung, and she blinked rapidly to push back the tears.

"You know we can't admit him without parental consent." She said shaking her head.

"I brought him in for child abuse documentation." Amy said lowering her voice. "He needs an x-ray on his ribs too." Becky looked over Amy's shoulder at Spencer. He was huddled in the hard plastic chair, curled in on himself as far as he could get with his bruise.

"Both parents?" Becky whispered the question.

"No, the father isn't in the home. The mother hit him with a pool cue." Becky gasped putting a hand across her mouth.

"Is Sheila in tonight?" Amy asked resting her elbow on the reception desk. It was only a little past seven but she was exhausted.

"Dr. Carmichael?" Becky glanced at the shift roster on her desk. "Yeah." She said nodding as she glanced back up.

"I'll fill out the registration papers, could you call her and tell her why I'm here?" Amy asked picking up a clipboard.

"Yeah, sure, hon. No problem." Becky said nodding. Amy took the clip board back to where Spencer was sitting.

"I don't want to go live with Dad." He said quietly. He had stopped crying but his voice was still rough. "He doesn't know, and she'll tell him. I don't know he'll react…he could be just as bad as she is. I know it's asking a lot, after everything that I'd done, but could you take me home with you?" Amy stared at the forms on the clipboard but she didn't see them. His voice sounded small and broken, pleading like a small child. She couldn't say no, but she knew that by bringing Spencer Walsh back to the house she would open a can of worms that she didn't even want to think about.

"I'll try." She said quietly. "Do you think you can fill this out?" She asked passing him the clipboard. If it had been any one of her children she could have answered the questions from memory, but he wasn't hers, at least he hadn't been when the night started. He nodded and took the papers. Dr. Sheila Carmichael had walked through the doors that lead back into the ER. She stood with her hand in the pockets of her lab coat, her long red hair falling in thick, slick curls around her face. Amy patted Spencer on the shoulder and walked over to talk to her.

"Where'd you find this one, Ames?" The doctor asked looking over Amy's shoulder.

"He's Teddy's ex." She said smoothing her hair back to her head.

"How did you find out about this?" Sheila asked watching her friend closely. Sheila and Amy had been friends in nursing school. Sheila went on to get her doctorate, Amy had a family.

"He's been hitting on PJ." Amy said, laughing at the absurdity of it all. Sheila's thin, red eyebrows went up but she didn't say anything. Amy had already told her about PJ coming out. Sheila was still her closest friend, despite the difference in their positions. "I went over there to talk to him about the whole mess. The minute I mentioned PJ's name the bitch froze up like some ugly ice sculpture. Whenever the kid came to the door and I said his name in front of them both he looked like he was going to jump out of his skin." She shook her head. "I knew something was up. I bullied him into showing me the bruises in the car."

"I'll have to call social services in." Sheila said looking over at Spencer gain. "He's adorable, who would want to hurt him?"

"I did once upon a time." Amy said giggling. She caught herself and coughed. It had been a long night and it wasn't over, she was tired and frayed. "His dad moved, he got outed at boy scouts, they kicked him out. She'd been drinking; she just snapped and started beating him." Amy said shaking her head. "He doesn't want to go live with his father, he's afraid he won't react much better than she did. What do you think my chances are of getting him released to me?"

"He's seventeen, that's not legal, but it's old enough that social services will listen to his opinion. You were the one who brought him in; you've been working at the hospital for fifteen years. I think the chances are good if I vouch for you." Sheila said smiling. "You're a glutton for punishment."

"Not so long ago Teddy loved him, right now PJ's pretty sure he's in love with him." Amy said shaking her head. "And he's the sweetest kid, I've found that out tonight, he's scared and he's hurt. I can't make him go somewhere he doesn't feel safe."

"I know." Sheila said nodding. "You're doing the right thing. I'm just glad I'm not in your boots tonight." After that Spencer got up and brought Amy the clipboard. She handed it directly to Sheila. She turned and motioned them back through the double doors she'd emerged from. She led them into a private room. Spencer stood with his arms wrapped around himself.

"Okay, Spencer." Sheila said glancing down at the clipboard in her hand. "The way this works is we take pictures of the injuries so that social services can see them later. All we have to do is take a few snap shots and then we'll get you down for an x-ray." He glanced at Amy before nodding. "Can you show me the bruises, honey?" Spencer nodded hesitantly and pulled his sweat shirt up. Sheila failed to hide her reaction, but Spencer wasn't looking anyway. He was staring blankly at the wall. "Alright, Spencer." Sheila said pulling a digital camera from her lab coat. "Could you take off your shirt for a moment? I just need a few pictures and we can get you down to x-ray." He pulled the sweatshirt up and over his head, flinching as his ribs stretched. Sheila walked over and raised his arm up and put it behind his head, baring the bruise. She snapped a couple of close up photos then moved back to take some more. "Alright, honey, you can put your shirt back on and I'll walk you down to radiology."

Thirty minutes later a woman from social services came in to talk to Spencer. He answered her questions tiredly. She had come in carrying a folder; she opened it midway through the interview and winced. The x-ray had revealed the rib was cracked. Towards the end Amy asked if she could take Spencer home. She pulled the social worker aside and explained to her Spencer's fears, and about her own gay son at home. The woman nodded.

"Dr. Carmichael had already suggested the possibility to me." She said opening the folder again, her eyes avoiding the photos tucked into the pocket. "His father will have to be contacted, of course. But for tonight you can take him home with you. If things don't go well with the father then you can contact my office and we'll work something more permanent out."

"What about his mother?" Amy asked lowering her voice to a whisper.

"The police will be meeting me here." The social worker said looking down at the folder without opening it. "She'll be in custody tonight."

"Can I take him home, now?"

"Yes, Mrs. Duncan. I think that would be best." Amy gathered Spencer from the chair he'd been sitting in and led him out of the hospital. They passed the police in the parking lot.

Amy and Spencer sat in the driveway behind the house. He'd been quiet the entire drive home. She hadn't pushed him. Now she felt like she was sitting in a tornado waiting to happen. Spencer was a warm front; her kids were a cold front, when they met all hell would break lose. Her happy little home would be blown away and she didn't think she would land in Oz. She knew she was doing the right thing, that didn't mean she was ready to get out of the car.

"Do you think I could talk to PJ?" Spencer asked licking his lips as he looked past her at the back door.

"I don't think that's a good idea right now, honey." She said shaking her head. "I mean you have to understand how awkward this will be for Teddy. I think you two need to work some things out before you even start thinking about PJ."

"Do you think she's ever going to forgive me?" He asked looking to her.

"Let's go find out." She said opening her car door. It could have gone better.

Teddy was standing in the kitchen pouring a glass of water. As Amy and Spencer walked through the door she dropped her glass, it bounced harmlessly across the counter, water splashing everywhere. Spencer stopped with his hand on the door, a deer caught in the headlights.

"What's he doing here?" She asked Amy pointing to Spencer who was still standing by the door.

"He's going to sleep on the couch tonight. Is PJ still asleep?" Amy asked putting her purse down on the table. Teddy crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I guess so; I haven't seen him all night. What is he doing here?" She asked jabbing her finger at Spencer. Amy sighed and pressed her hand against her eyes.

"I've got this, Mrs. Duncan." Spencer said, he'd finally come inside the house and closed the door.

"Are you sure?" She asked glancing at him. He nodded, cramming his hands into his pockets. "Okay." Amy nodded before fleeing the kitchen. She would have liked to been there for Spencer and Teddy both but she was tapped out. Two crises in one night was bad enough, powering through a third would be enough to put her down. She just hoped Spencer would be alright, she knew Teddy would be one way or the other.

"So what _are _you doing here?" Teddy said turning to Spencer. If looks could kill he would have been down for the count.

"I was having some problems at home; your mom was the only person I could think to call." He said shaking his head. Mrs. Duncan had been right, bringing up his feelings for PJ would only make things worse right then. The fire instantly went out of Teddy's eyes. She sat down at the kitchen table.

"What kind of problems?" She asked folding her hands in front of her on the table. She still cared about Spencer, as much as she wanted to hate him he was her first love. They had been close.

"Before I say anything else, I want to apologize." Spencer said slipping into the chair across from her. "I never wanted for you to get hurt. I was really stupid and scared and I didn't handle it right."

"Why were you afraid?" She asked staring at him; it was obviously he was uncomfortable. Spencer powered on without responding.

"I always liked you more than Skylar." Teddy opened her mouth to ask him why he dated Skylar then, but he held up his hand to stop her. "But I didn't feel the same way about either of you that you felt about me."

"You're not off to a good start, Spence." She said dropped her cheek onto her hand.

"I know, I know." He said rubbing his forehead. "Teddy, I'm gay." Her hand slipped out from under her cheek and slammed against the table. He jumped, flinching away from the sudden loud noise. Teddy stared at him, realization exploding behind her eyes.

"What problems were you having at home?" She asked slowly. Spencer sighed and pulled up his sweatshirt. For the first time that night he kept his eyes on Teddy's face as she saw the bruise. The sudden blank expression fallowed by anger startled him.

"Did your dad do that?" Teddy asked staring at the lurid coloring of the bruise.

"Dad moved out a couple of months ago, it was Mom." He said shaking his head. "She…she started drinking." Teddy brushed her hands over her face, sweeping them back to smooth her hair.

"Why did you ask me out if you're gay?" She asked, what his mother had done was horrible. But she had to know, she had wondered for months what had happened. She had been so happy, she thought he was happy.

"I needed a girlfriend. The guys on the team were starting to talk." He said grimacing. "I know I should have just dealt with it. But I was scared."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" She asked sighing. "It wouldn't have been as nice as having you as a real boyfriend. But I like to think that I would have been willing to help you out, Spencer. I really liked you." She said shaking her head. "Why did you need two fake girlfriends?"

"Do you have any idea what teenage boys are like when they're alone?" Spencer asked laughing darkly.

"I don't really want to think about it." Teddy said shuddering.

"No, I didn't mean like that." He said laughing genuinely. "When its just guys they talk tell stories, and we all know it's a bunch of crap…." Spencer said shrugging, at a loss for words. 

"But you didn't have any stories to tell." Teddy said filling in the gap. Spencer nodded. "Why not make up a story like everyone else?"

"I couldn't do that to you." He said shaking his head. "I couldn't give you a reputation."

"But you could make up stories about Skylar?" Teddy asked eyeing him closely. Skylar was her friend, even if she had moved to New York, and she was a sweet girl. Teddy would be angry if he had chosen Skylar just to ruin her reputation.

"I didn't have to." Spencer said staring at his hands. "Having two girlfriends kind of made me a legend." He said smiling apologetically. "Until it all fell apart, by then it really didn't matter anymore, I felt like total shit for hurting you both."

"Why not tell me all this a long time ago, back when you came to apologize for what happened?" She asked leaning back in her seat.

"I wasn't ready to tell anyone." He said shaking his head. "I wasn't going to tell my parents, but after what happened in scouts I had to tell my Mom." Just then Gabe walked into the kitchen. He stopped so suddenly the swinging door rebounded and hit him.

"What are you doing here?" Gabe asked staring at Spencer.

"Gabe, it's okay he's…."

"PJ told you to stay away from him." Gabe continued completely ignoring his sister. "Do you not understand English or are you going deaf."

"What's he talking about?" Teddy asked turning back to Spencer. He sat on the other side of the table, his jaw hanging open. There went his plans of easing Teddy into the idea. "I…um…uh." He stammered.

"This loser's been sniffing around PJ." Gabe said coming to stand behind her chair. Teddy's eyes narrowed.

"You're trying to date my brother?" She asked her voice low and cold. "It wasn't enough to two-time me with Skylar, now you want to date PJ." Her voice rose into a shout as she stood up, her chair fell backwards and clattered against the floor.

"Teddy, I'm sorry. I know it looks bad…." Spencer said reaching across the table.

"I didn't really think you could be any more of a sleazebag." She said shaking her head. She turned and blasted through the kitchen door.

"But I really care about him." Spencer said settling back into his chair. Gabe was standing beside Teddy's fallen chair, his arms crossed over his chest, still glaring at Spencer.

"What's going on in here?" Amy stepped through the door. Gabe just shook his head and walked out. Spencer just sat in the chair staring at the table.

A/N: It'll probably be a hot minute before there's another update. I had been working on some original pieces, but I decided to take a break and catch up my fictions. It's probably about time I get back to work on the book. As always read and respond. I love hearing from satisfied readers.


	6. The Duncan Family Gauntlet

Title: Colorado Nights

By: D.C. Lakes

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Good Luck Charlie or any of its characters. The poor dears are the property of Disney.

PJ stood in the living room staring down at the couch. If his hand hadn't been itchy like the worst case of poison ivy ever he'd be sure it was all a dream. Spencer was lying on his couch asleep; wearing a pair of his dad's old jogging pants. His chest was swathed in bandaged from his pecs to his navel. One well muscled arm was snuggled under his head; his long eyelashes fell like smoke across his cheeks. Finally PJ reached out and touched his arm to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

The sound of Teddy clearing her throat made him jump. He jerked his hand away guiltily and turned to face her. She was leaning against the kitchen door, arms and legs crossed, watching him. He avoided her gaze, cramming his hands into his pockets nervously.

"I had a talk with Spencer last night." She said glancing over at couch. Well that explained the bandage.

"Oh, what did he say?" PJ tried to act nonchalant, but his voice cracked on the last word. In his mind it was only a matter of time before Teddy started turning into their mother. He was terrified of his mother, he loved her, and he trusted her but he did _not_ want to make her mad. She pretended not to hear him. "So, what's he doing here?"

"That's something you need to ask him." She said shaking her head. She glanced at Spencer one more time, her eyes flashing angrily, before she turned and went back into the kitchen. If curiosity killed the cat it was slaughtering PJ. He wanted to wake Spencer up. Ask him what he was doing sleeping on his family's couch, what had said to Teddy. But he couldn't, the last thing he had said to Spencer was to go away and stay away. He glanced at the kitchen pass-through to make sure that Teddy wasn't looking. She was facing the other direction eating her breakfast. He inched closer to the couch ghosting his fingers over the smooth expanse of Spencer's arm. The dark haired boy murmured in his sleep, shifting to burry his face in the crook of his arm. PJ sighed then turned to walk into the kitchen.

Spencer woke alone in a strange place. He knew without opening his eyes. His bedroom spelled like dirty socks and cologne, but the air around him smelled like scrambled eggs, sausage, and some faint potpourri. The couch he was lying of felt nothing like his bed. And to top it all off he was wearing someone else's clothes. The sweat pants were loose on him, synched tightly at the waist. Something small, warm, and smelling of gummy bears poked him in the nose.

His eyes flashed open as he flinched away from the little finger. A tiny, blonde person with wide blue eyes was staring at him. Everything came flooding back as he recognized Charlie Duncan. PJ telling him to go away and stay away, Mrs. Duncan showing up at his front door, her knowing almost psychically that his mother had been hitting him, the doctor, the x-ray, his conversation with Teddy, and finally the soft tickle of fingers over his arm, it all hit him at once and he sat up gasping. Charlie simply stood and watched him.

"At least you didn't bite me this time, huh?" He asked smiling ruefully at her. She reached out and patted the back of his hand, three times, slowly. Then turned and ran towards the kitchen. A few seconds later Mrs. Duncan came back through the door.

"You're awake." She said nodding. "There's some breakfast on the table."

"That sounds great." He said standing. He stretched and winced as his ribs shifted under his skin. "Um…I don't remember where the bathroom is." He said sheepishly. She pointed to a door back behind the stairs

"So where is everyone?" He asked as he came into the kitchen.

"Bob's at work, the kids are at school." She said taking a sip from her coffee cup.

"You let me sleep in." He stated it as a fact, but his voice was filled with confusion.

"Amy Duncan rule, no kid I have to drive to the hospital goes to school the next day." She said shrugging her shoulders. "We have to contact your father today." Spencer dropped the forkful of eggs he had been about to eat back onto his plate. "I know you're scared, Spencer. But I hope you know I wouldn't let you leave this house unless I knew you were safe. Your father has to know what's been going on. If you talk to him today and you still don't feel comfortable going home with him right away we can work something out. But you can't sleep on the couch until you graduate. PJ nearly swallowed his tongue when he saw you there this morning." Spencer's hand went up to rub his arm, remembering the ghosting of fingers over his skin.

"Yeah, okay. What time is it?"

"A quarter till ten." She said glancing at her watch.

"He's already at work." Spencer said shaking his head. "Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?" Amy stood up and grabbed a notepad and pen from one of the drawers. He jotted down at number. "This is his personal extension at the office." He said pushing the notepad across the table. "Do you think I could have a shower before he gets here?"

"Um…yeah." She said standing. "I went through some of PJ's clothes and found some I think will fit you." She turned and grabbed some clothes off the counter. "It's swimming drunks and a hoody." She said smiling apologetically. "And here are some boxers I bought for him last year; they're really baggy so they might fit you."

"Thanks." Spencer said taking the clothes from here. "Could you help me with my bandages?" She smiled again sympathetically and held up a garbage bag she'd been hiding under the table. "How much longer do I have to stay taped up?" He asked miserably.

"It's only until your ribs heal up a little bit, the tape holds them still so they don't shift and grind against each other as you move. I would change your bandages but I'm out of the adhesive strips."

"It's okay." He said after a moment. "I just want to wash my hair and scrub off a little bit."

PJ didn't hear a thing the teacher said, he'd barely heard a word anyone had said since leaving the house that morning. Emmett had tried to talk to him about an upcoming gig. He'd zoned out and nodded along when it seemed appropriate. For all he knew he had agreed to sing in his boxers.

"Mr. Duncan, where are you this fine morning?" His teacher asked after trying to call on him three times. PJ shook himself and pulled away from his thoughts to focus on Mr. Henry.

"I'm sorry; I have a lot on my mind." He said shaking his head. "What was the question?"

"What could possibly be more important than World Civilizations?" Mr. Henry said condescendingly. "Remember, Mr. Duncan, those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them."

"I don't know. Waking up to find the hottest guy in school sleeping on your couch seems to be pretty important. You know the one, the guy that dumped your sister and has been trying to get with you?" Is what he wanted to say.

"Nothing, Mr. Henry." Is what he actually said. "I'll try to pay more attention."

"See that you do." The moment the teacher's back was turned PJ was off again lost in his thoughts. What was Spencer doing asleep on his couch in his dad's old jogging pants? What had happened to him? What had he and Teddy talked about the night before? And most importantly how was he going to avoid having a nervous breakdown until he found out?

Spencer sat on the couch wearing PJ's clothes. It was odd. The boxers were just a little too tight, the shorts a few inches too short. The hoody didn't quite meet the top of the shorts. He didn't want to lounge around the Duncan's house wearing a pair of baggy jogging shorts and a bandage. But he was starting to feel very uncomfortable with the whole situation. He was grateful that Mrs. Duncan had helped him. But one of his biggest secrets was out in the open and he felt exposed. He would have traded the shorts for the baggy pants if he could have a hoody that fit. The fact that his Dad would be there in an hour didn't make things any better.

"They're a little small." Amy said, trying to keep her voice upbeat. "But I don't think it looks that bad."

"I think I'd rather have Mr. Duncan's pants back." He said brushing his damp hair with one hand."

"Are you cold?" She asked concern entering her voice. He shook his head and smoothed his hands over the shorts. "Insecure?" She guessed. He nodded. "Okay, I'll go see if I can scrounge up some more clothes Bob's outgrown." She returned a few minutes later with a pair of sweatpants that weren't quite as baggy as the one's he wore to bed, a hoody that swallowed him whole, and a pair of socks. The socked fit better than anything else, but the heel still came up on the back of his ankle. Regardless he was a lot more comfortable than he had been in the tight clothes. He felt like he could disappear in the warm, soft recesses of the sweat suit.

Amy was sitting in a chair when he came back out of the bathroom. He looked a lot more comfortable. But she couldn't help but grin, and hide a soft giggle behind her hand.

"What?" He looked at her innocently with his wide blue eyes.

"You look like a twelve year old wearing your dad's clothes." She said shaking her head with a smile. The mention of his father caused butterflies to flutter against his stomach. A knock on at the door caused his heart to hammer against his ribs. Amy got up to answer it; he stood hesitantly when it opened to reveal his father.

"Spence, are you okay?" He asked as soon as he saw his son; he brushed past Amy without really noticing her. Spencer stood but didn't speak; he looked like a deer in the headlights. "Where's your mother, was there an accident?" All Amy had told him over the phone was that something had happened and Spencer had spent the night on their couch. She thought it would be better to tell him the rest in person.

"Mr. Walsh, your wife has been drinking." For the first time he looked at her, his eyebrows meeting over his nose. Then his eyes flickered back to Spencer, he closed the space between them and tugged up the hem of the hoody, allowing it to drop when he saw the bandage. He sat down on the couch and pressed his hand against his face.

"I didn't think she would do it again." He said shaking his head. "I wanted to take you with me, Spence, but she threw a fit. I swear I thought she was better or I never would have left you."

"What do you mean, again?" Amy asked, her eyes locked on the miserable looking man.

"Marcy first started drinking when Spencer was four." He said shaking his head. "We were having problems. I was working longer hours, Spence had just started going to school. I guess she just felt abandoned." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "One night I came home late, Marcy was passed out in bed, I went to check on Spencer and I couldn't find him. I finally found him in the linen closet. He was hiding, he had a black eye."

"I don't remember any of that." Spencer said shaking his head.

"You were young." His father said. "The next day I told her she was going to stop drinking and go to AA, if she didn't I was going to move out and take you with me. Is she…"

"The police arrested her last night." Amy said nodding. Mr. Walsh just nodded.

"Don't worry, Spence. I'll take you home, she won't be coming back." Spencer stared at his father, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. Amy stood from the chair where she had been sitting and walked over to perch on the chair arm. She put one hand on Spencer's shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly.

"Um...Dad, I have something to tell you." His father looked up, looking him in the eye. The words died in Spencer's throat. Amy leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Its okay, honey, he needs to know. If it doesn't go well we'll work something out."

"I…I got kicked out of the scouts." It wasn't exactly what he'd meant to say, but it was a start. "I kissed Shelby Walker, one of the junior scouts saw; he told Alex and….he told me to leave." His father just sat and stared at him for a moment. Spencer leaned his head back against Amy's knee waiting for his father's response. She ran her fingers through his hair. After the silence had stretched out for several minutes Spencer spoke again. "Would you please just say something? Anything."

"Sorry, you kind of caught me off guard there, kiddo." He said shaking his head. "That was kind of a one/two punch don't you think?"

"I wanted to tell you before I went home with you." Spencer said. "I wanted to know how you'd react."

"I would never hurt you, Spencer." His father said staring at him. "Even if you being gay bothered me, and it doesn't, I promise. I wouldn't hit you. Don't you remember Max and Tommy Billton? They're two of my best friends."

"Being friends with a gay guy and finding out your son is one is two different things." Spencer said shrugging.

"Are you ready to go home son? Get back into your own clothes?" He asked standing.

"I was kind of hoping to stay one more day." Spencer said quietly. "It's just….I don't want to go home right now."

"You don't want to overstay your welcome, Spencer." His father said glancing at Amy. "If you're not ready to go home we could stay at my apartment a few days."

"It's okay, really." Amy said standing. "I don't mind letting him stay another night."

"If you're sure…"

"It's no problem really, he's a good kid." She said shaking her head.

"Alright, I'll be back to get you tomorrow evening after work." He said looking to Spencer. "I can't thank you enough for taking care of my boy." He turned to Amy.

"It's nothing." She said leading him to the door. "I only hope someone would do the same thing for PJ."

"PJ, right your oldest son. Is he okay with Spencer staying?" Mr. Walsh asked lowering his voice.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine." Amy said grinning broadly as she struggled to suppress a nervous little laugh. Mr. Walsh nodded one more time and walked down the sidewalk to his car.

PJ watched the clock, his right foot tapping impatiently against the floor. He'd been watching it diligently for the past hour, waiting for the bell to ring. More than once he thought he saw the second hand tick backwards. When the bell finally did ring it startled him, he jumped knocking his blank notebook to the floor. He grabbed it and moved for the door, twisting and turning, slipping between other students in his hurry to get out of school, to get home.

The high school was only five blocks from his neighborhood. Normally he relished the walk home, even on the coldest and hottest days. It gave him time to think and decompress. That day the sound of his footsteps pounded in his ears. Spencer would be waiting on the couch when he got home. The questions that had been running through his head all day would be answered.

But what if Spencer wasn't waiting on the couch? PJ stumbled and nearly fell into a fringe of bushes as the new possibility pushed it way to the front of his brain. He had no idea what Spencer was doing there in the first place, he had no idea if he would still be there or if he would have went home, or found someplace else to stay. PJ took off running towards home.

Spencer wasn't waiting on the couch when he got there. He was waiting on the front porch. PJ slowed to a stop, he was panting for breath and his heart was pounding in his ears. Spencer looked up a smile breaking across his features before disappearing.

"Uh..hi." PJ said after he finally managed to catch his breath. He walked up the steps slowly.

"Hey, PJ." Spencer said, flicking the hair out of his eyes with a shake of his head. He didn't sound very happy, PJ's stomach squirmed uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry about what I said yesterday." PJ said scuffing his shoe against the porch floor. "I didn't mean to sound like a jerk..."

"It's fine, PJ." Spencer said interrupting him. "I know you were just looking out for Teddy."

"Okay, so why were you sleeping on my couch this morning?" A shaky sigh escaped him.

"Your mom came to talk to me last night." Spencer said smiling. PJ winced.

"I really didn't think she was up to kidnapping yet." PJ sat down on the floor, leaning his back against the banisters.

"She didn't kidnap me." Spencer said shaking his head. "She is like freaky psychic though."

"Tell me about it." PJ grinned.

"My mom, she's been hitting me." Spencer said. The smile fell from PJ's face. He came up off the floor and went to Spencer's side and tugged up the oversized hoody he was wearing. He brushed his fingers over the bandages.

"I…I'm sorry, Spencer." His voice was small and hard. He was angry.

"Your mom found out, took me to the hospital, she brought me back here. Mom's in jail, Dad's coming to get me tomorrow." They sat in silence for a while. Spencer was still slightly shocked by PJ's reaction. PJ had no idea what to say.

"Teddy said you two talked last night, how'd that go?" He asked, finally breaking the silence. He was afraid of the answer. Teddy hadn't looked happy that morning.

"Pretty well….right up until she found out I'd ask you out." Spencer said sighing. "She's really pissed."

"How'd she find out?" PJ asked his voice dull. He was kind of hoping they had talked it all out and that Spencer would tell him she was fine with the idea of them being together. Of course that was too good to be true.

"Your little brother came in while we were talking and started giving me the business." Spencer said a small grin on his lips. "That kid is like a wolverine, he really loves you, you know."

"I know." PJ said nodding. "So where are we?"

"On your front porch, did you hit your head?" Spencer cracked.

"I mean…what are we going to do?" He asked glancing up at the dark haired boy. Spencer shook his head grimacing.

"You don't want to hurt, Teddy. Neither do I." He said shifting until he was facing PJ. "But I'm not giving up without a fight. I do like you, a lot. I can't just walk away from that."

"So you're going to keep coming after me until I give in and say yes, completely obliterating my relationship with my sister." PJ found a spark of anger and wrapped it tightly around himself, a barrier from the pain, from the tight feeling in his chest.

"I'm going to keep going after Teddy until she forgives me." Spencer said staring out over the Duncan's front yard. "I made a mistake, a really big one. But I can't believe, won't believe that it was so bad that it cost me you." The anger died and the heart crushing squeeze returned to his chest.

"I hope you're right." He murmured, his voice barely audible, as he got up and walked into the house.

Teddy lay on her bed listening to the conversation on the porch. She'd gotten home early and ducked in the back door to avoid Spencer. She'd seen him sitting on the front porch as she drove by. She figured he was waiting there to talk to her and had no interest in that conversation. When PJ had walked up and they began talking she had almost shut the window. But she couldn't make herself do it. When she heard the front door open and close she rolled onto her side snuggling one of her pillows. She didn't know what to do.

She wouldn't go upstairs. She didn't want to run into Spencer right then. She had a decision to make and running into him would only make her angry again. Finally she pulled out her phone and texted her mother. A few minutes later Amy slid open her bedroom door, with Charlie on her hip.

"What's up?" She asked sitting on the edge of the bed. Charlie pulled loose and crawled onto the bed and into the mound of pillows Teddy kept there.

"I don't know what to do." She moaned flopping back onto the bed.

"I'm going to need a little bit more context here, honey." Amy said shaking her head. "A lots been going on here lately, and I'm not up to my usual speed."

"Spencer and PJ." She sighed, rolling her head to look at her mother. Amy nodded, gathering herself.

"What are your options?" She asked.

"I can tell PJ that I'm okay with him dating Spencer, or I can keep my mouth shut and let him keep turning him down." She knew PJ wouldn't relent to Spencer's advances as long he thought it would hurt her.

"What do you want to do?" Amy asked. She had learned a long time ago that Teddy always made the right decision. She didn't need anyone to lead her to it; all she needed was a sounding board so she could hear herself out loud.

"I want Spencer to suffer." Teddy said frowning darkly. "He pretended he loved me then broke my heart."

"I don't think he pretended anything, honey." Amy said shaking her head. "Spencer didn't feel the same way about you that you did about him, but I really do think he cared about you."

"How miserable is PJ." She asked staring up at the ceiling.

"On a scale of one to ten….twelve." Amy said smiling sadly.

"I know how he feels." Teddy said shaking her head. "It would be easier if he was being a stupid jerk." She sighed. "I could just scream at him for a while and it would be over. But he's thinking about me, he won't date Spencer because he doesn't want to hurt me."

"You know PJ loves you. No matter how much you two fight, he's your big brother. He's the one who taught you to ride your bike."

"I know. I can't make Spencer suffer without making PJ suffer. And for once he hasn't done anything wrong." She went quiet for a moment. Amy sat and watched her. Even Charlie was silent. "But I don't know if I can tell PJ that it's okay. I don't know if I can be okay with it."

"I don't know what to tell you, honey." Amy said shaking her head.

"No advice what so ever?" Teddy asked sitting up.

"I'm not going to tell you to put your brother before your own feelings; I'm not going to tell you to put yourself before your brother." She said reaching out to brush her finger's through Teddy's hair. "There's not a lot I _can_ say."

"That just sucks." Teddy sighed.

"Thems the breaks, kid." Amy said shaking her head as she stood, gathered Charlie, and left.

Spencer was stilling sitting on the porch when Teddy found him. She walked out onto the porch and sat down beside him. They sat together for a while without speaking.

"How're your ribs?" She asked breaking the ice.

"They're still really sore, but it's better than yesterday." He said glancing over at her.

"You don't have to convince me you're too wounded to slug, Spence. I'm not going to hit you." She said laughing quietly. "I just want to ask you a question. Don't look into it, just answer me. If you lie I'll send Gabe after you."

"Okay." He said shrugging.

"If you found a guy to go out with, would you pull stupid crap with him that you did with me and Skylar?" They fell back into silence.

"Right now there is no other boy." He said turning to her, their blue eyes locking. "There's only PJ. There's only been PJ for a while. But if by some miracle I ever got a chance with him, I would do everything in my power to never hurt him."

"What do you mean 'for a while'?" Teddy asked. Spencer wilted visibly. "Is that why you chose me to be your fake girlfriend, because you were already in love with PJ?"

"You can hit me." Spencer groaned. "Just not on this side," he said gesturing to his broken ribs.

"I don't want to hit you." She said pressing her hands over her face. "That's a lie; I really want to hit you. But it wouldn't do any good. We can't go back and change anything. I just really, really wish that you weren't so stupid, Spence."

"Me too." He said nodding. "I really did love you, you know." He added. "I may not have felt the same way that you did, but I did love you. When I was growing up I always wished I had a sister. Its kind of stupid….and really weird, but when we were going out it was like I had finally found one." Teddy wanted to blast him for eavesdropping on her conversation with her mother. But turn about was fair play. She had listened to him and PJ talking. She should have remembered to close the window.

"You're right, that is really weird and kind of creepy….but it's sweet too." She said sighing. "It really hurt, Spencer. I thought that we meant something to each other, and then when I found out you were dating Skylar too. Well it made me feel like I had never meant anything to you."

"I know, but you did. If I had been thinking straight I never would have dated Skylar. But I was so freaked out. I had just got kicked out of the scouts and I was afraid that the rumor that I'd kissed Shelby would start getting around. I just wanted to do anything I could to stop it. So where are we?" He asked parroting PJ's words.

"Sitting on my front porch, did you hit your head or something?" She asked leaning over to nudge his arm with her shoulder. "We're friends, because in spite of my best efforts I still love you and it has nothing to do with how ridiculously hot you are…even in my dad's clothes." Spencer chuckled, blushing slightly. "But I'm not ready to see you with PJ. Not yet. I don't like to see him hurting, but I don't really trust you, Spence. You've got to change my mind if you want to date my brother."

"Any idea how I could do that, or how long it'll take?" He asked hopefully.

"You say you're in love with PJ? Prove it." She said standing up from the bench. "Make me believe you won't hurt him and I'll change my mind. But if you end up being PJ's first real broken heart… I'll hunt you down like a dog." She opened the front door and slipped inside.

Spencer still wasn't ready to go inside after his conversation with Teddy. He was beginning to wish he had let his father take him home. It was just so awkward. Teddy and Mrs. Duncan were friendly enough. But PJ had to keep his distance and that hurt bad enough. Then there was Gabe. Gabe was a tiny little person, but he was frightening. Spencer expected him to shave his head in his sleep or something. Mr. Duncan was the worst. He hadn't said a word to Spencer since he'd been there. The man was enormous. The fact that he was wearing Bob Duncan's hand-me-downs was a constant reminder that the man could snap him in half if he wanted to.

He almost jumped up and ran into the house when Bob's work van pulled up the driveway. It would have been nice to go inside and hide behind Mrs. Duncan. But if he was ever going to be with PJ he had to make amends with everyone else in the family. As sad as it was, he'd rather start with Mr. Duncan than Gabe.

Bob walked up onto the porch and stopped to stare at Spencer. He had to stifle a smile. The kid was decked out in some of his old clothes. It reminded him of when Gabe was five and refused to wear anything except for PJ's old clothes. The fact that Spencer looked like he wanted to run far, far away only added to the affect.

"I know you're probably tired from working all day. But I was hoping I could talk to you before you went inside." Spencer said his voice barely loud enough to be heard. Bob grinned and sat down beside the kid. Spencer had manners; he had to give him that.

"You can calm down, Spencer. I'm not the kind of dad that starts cleaning his guns when a new boyfriend shows up. Amy's the one you normally have to worry about. But she's got this whole stray puppy complex, so you won her over real quick."

"I figured you might be mad about what happened between me and Teddy." Spencer said, he still sounded nervous, but he didn't look as ready to bolt as he had.

"I wasn't happy. It's never fun seeing your little girl hurt." Bob said shaking his head. "But I was a teenage boy once too. Our situations weren't exactly the same, but I understand a little of what you were going through. You're captain of the football team. I was captain of the basketball team. It doesn't matter what team you're on, you're expected to be a player." Spencer sat quietly listening. "I never dated two girls at the same time, but I understand why you did. As far as I'm concerned there's only one thing I need to know…."

"That I won't do the same thing to PJ." Spencer said interrupting him.

"Exactly." Bob said nodding.

"I think I love him, Mr. Duncan." Spencer sighed. "I know it sounds stupid because I've never really spent any time with him, I don't even know him but..."

"I was pretty sure I loved Amy before we even started dating. After a couple of months of dating her, I realized that I hadn't even known what love really was. She's crazy and she brings home strange children and puts them in my clothes, but I still love her." Spencer shifted uncomfortably.

"Any advice on what to say when I talk to Gabe?" Spencer asked anxiously. Bob threw his head back and laughed.

"Since he's been old enough to act like a little terror PJ has been Gabe's favorite victim. Most people, PJ especially, don't realize that it's because he loves PJ the most. You have your work cut out for you. Gabe saw you hurt Teddy. He's going to be on guard to keep you from hurting PJ. Good luck, kid." Bob said, patting PJ on the back before going into the house.

Spencer finally got up and went inside. It was obvious that Gabe wasn't going to be obliging and come to him to talk. It was going to be unpleasant enough going head to head with a thirteen year old criminal mastermind anyway; doing it on his turf really didn't make it any worse. He figured he was screwed either way.

The living room was empty. The blankets and pillows he'd slept with the night before were folded up and stacked at the end of the couch. Spencer sat down on the edge of a chair, rested his elbows on his knees, and waited. Deciding to go into the house and actually seeking Gabe out were two different things. He was hoping people would be able to hear him scream for help if he stayed in the middle of the house. He didn't have to wait long. Gabe came down the stairs, paused on the bottom step, and glared at Spencer. Spencer shifted, clearing his throat.

"Save it Casanova." Gabe grunted as he walked over to the couch. "You may be able to fool the rest of them with your 'I'm so pretty and pathetic' routine. It's going to take a better man than you to fleece me." He flopped onto the couch, put his arms behind his head, and waited for Spencer to respond.

"I'm not trying to fleece you, little guy." Spencer said shaking his head. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Don't call me 'little guy'." Gabe said frowning darkly. "You're not my big brother; you're not anybody's boyfriend. You're just some sleazebag that wormed his way into my house."

"Right, sorry." Spencer said scratching the back of his head. "I know you really don't like me…"

"What gave you that idea?" Gabe barked sarcastically.

"But I didn't mean to hurt Teddy, and I would never hurt PJ."

"You're right, you won't." Gabe said rolling into a sitting position. "I share a room with PJ. Every time he comes home after being dumped I'm the one who sees him cry. I'm the one who sees him toss and turn all night. I'm the one who watches him mope around until another girl comes along…"

"Yeah, and what's he doing now?" Spencer asked. Gabe's face went blank for a moment. "I know you don't want to see him hurt. But I know PJ likes me too."

"He'll get over it." Gabe said shrugging.

"Are you sure?" Spencer asked staring at him. "Right now I don't think I'll ever get over him."

"He's not a slime-ball like you are." Gabe stood up and headed towards the stairs. "PJ will be hard to get over, that doesn't mean you will be." Spencer watched the kid walked up the stairs. Four out of five wasn't bad. But he knew that Gabe was important to PJ. He knew that if he had had a little brother the kid would have been important to him. Gabe's acceptance might not have been as big a deal as Teddy's, but he had really been hoping to win him over. It didn't really matter though. He had bigger things to think about. He had to prove to Teddy that he was in love with PJ.


	7. Feel My Love

Title: Colorado Nights

Author: D.C. Lakes

Disclaimer: I do not own Good Luck Charlie or any of its characters. I also do not own the song "Make You Feel My Love" written by Bob Dylan, excavated by Adele.

A week after Spencer went home PJ got the flowers. He was back on the registers at Kwickie Chickie and bored out of his skull. It had been a slow night; customers trickled in a few at a time most of them ordering carry out. The only people in the store were an old couple sitting at a corner table bickering about something that he couldn't follow. When the delivery boy came through the door PJ perked up. Anything that broke up the monotony was welcome with open arms.

The guy walked through the door, his arms loaded down with a enormous cluster of flowers coming out of a clear vase. He looked a couple years older than PJ, probably a student at DCC. He walked up to the counter and sat down the flowers and glanced at his clipboard.

"PJ Duncan?" He called out. PJ's eyes bugged out of his head as he looked down at the bouquet then back up at the delivery boy. "Delivery for PJ Duncan?" PJ's friend Justin sidled up and elbowed him in the ribs.

"I…I'm PJ." He blurted blinking rapidly as his brain struggled to catch up with his mouth.

"You're PJ?" The guy asked smirking. "I thought that was a funny name for a girl." He shook his head and walked back out through the door. PJ stared down at the flowers. There had to be at least two dozen red roses, nestled in the middle was a single yellow one.

"Dude, who sent _you_ flowers?" Justin asked reaching for the card. PJ jumped and snatched it from underneath his fingers. He knew who the flowers were from; there was only one person who would send him flowers. He slid the card in his pocket and grabbed the roses in the crook of his arm.

"Justin, you got to cover for me." He said heading for the door.

"But your shift is up in ten minutes." Justin called after him.

"I know, I've just got to get out of here." The door swung closed behind him before Justin could respond. He jogged out to his car, pushed the bouquet into the passenger's seat and tugged the card out of his pocket. His hands were shaking as he lifted the flap on the envelope and teased the card out.

/_I'd go hungry/ I'd go blind/ for you/_

_~Spencer_

PJ didn't recognize the song, but the words still caused something in his stomach to wriggle pleasantly. The flowers…..the flowers were stupid. Who sends a boy flowers? Spencer had obviously spent too much time trying to date girls. That didn't stop him from plucking the yellow rose from the center of the vase and hold it up to his nose. It didn't smell like a flower. It smelled like Spencer's cologne. PJ whimpered and poked the rose back into the vase, pulling the car into gear.

When a week had gone by without Spencer doing anything PJ had figured he'd given up. The disappointment had nearly blotted out the relief but it was still there. Teddy hadn't said a word to him about what she and Spencer had talked about. When she was gone she pretended he'd never been there at all. PJ took that as a hint. Now that he was driving down the highway with proof of Spencer's continued interest sitting in the passenger's seat he was even more torn.

Spencer still wanted to be with him. That simple fact exploded through his body like a super nova, he was slightly surprised that the car didn't brighten with the surge of joy. But there was still Teddy; obviously she didn't want him dating Spencer. If she was okay with it she would have said so by then. A small part of him wanted to mad at her, for keeping them apart. But he pushed it away. She had her reasons, they were good reasons. He just really wished Spencer had asked him out first. Sighing he glanced at the roses. It would be a good idea to get rid of them. If Teddy saw them she would probably be hurt. But who knew if he would ever get flowers again? It had been stupid….but really sweet.

He sat in front of the garage for a long time trying to figure out what to do. He suddenly ran out of options when Teddy came out of the house and opened the passenger door. She knelt down and looked at the flowers then at her brother. PJ winced. She snapped her fingers and held her hand out. He stared at her for a moment in confusion then pulled out the card attached to the flowers and handed it to her. She read it and shook her head.

"Nice try, Spence. But this is minor league stuff." She handed the card back to PJ and went back into the house. He stared after her his mouth hanging open. What the crap was going on?

Teddy grabbed her cell phone and flopped down on the bed. She and Spenser had been texting back and forth since he left. It mostly involved him fishing for hints and her laughing at his general lack of subtlety. She had expected talking to him to dredge up bad memories. Instead the transition from ex-boyfriend to new friend had been quick and painless. Of course he was still listed as Clumpnugget in her phone.

TD: Weak!

Clumpnugged: What I do? O.0

TD: I tell you to prove your love and you send flowers and a song lyric. What are you twelve?

Clumpnugget: What's wrong with flowers?

TD: PJ isn't a girl.

Clumpnugget: Boys like flowers too. I like flowers!

TD: I'll mention that to PJ if you ever stop fooling around and get serious.

Clumpnugget: I'm trying! I've never had to do anything like this before.

TD: My point exactly.

Clumpnugget: You had a point? I thought you were just being cruel because girls are mean.

TD: You've never had to fight for anything. Everything you've ever wanted just fell in your lap because you're pretty, popular, and rich. But you're going to fight to get PJ. Maybe you won't be so stupid if you have to work for it.

Clumpnugget: One hint. Plz, plz, plz!

TD: Think about PJ. You're trying to win him, not just impress me.

Spencer groaned tossing the phone down onto his bed. He was frustrated; the fact that Teddy was right only made it worse. He really hadn't ever had to fight for anything, learning to dance and play guitar had come easily, like a second nature to him. He had a job but that was basically for extra spending money. He sat down and pressed his hands against his temples.

The flowers had been a bad idea. And if he kept throwing generic gestures at PJ he would eventually get irritated and call the whole thing off. He had to do it right and do it soon. He had watched the other boy at school, doing his best to keep from being noticed. PJ didn't look good. When he was around his friends he acted happy enough. But as soon as he was alone his shoulders drooped, his face went blank, and the light went out of his eyes. Spencer wasn't happy either, but he knew that it would eventually be over, they would eventually be together. PJ didn't.

Groaning with frustration he stood and began pacing the room again. He'd been pacing a lot lately. There was a strip of carpet down the middle of his bedroom that was beginning to look decidedly flattened. He was on his third trip between his bed and dresser when he stopped and picked up a flyer from the dresser. It was perfect.

"What do you mean we're not doing the talent show this year?" Emmett demanded following PJ into the basement. "We play every year."

"I'm just not up to it this year." PJ shook his head. "Maybe you could enter by yourself?" He flopped down on the couch and stared down at his hands clasped between his knees.

"How am I supposed to win the talent show by myself? Drummers never win." Emmett said standing over his friend.

"We never win, Emmett." PJ said shaking his head. "Maybe you could dance, you're good at that."

"Yeah, maybe." Emmett sighed and flopped onto the couch beside PJ. "What's going on, man?" PJ went stiff, his hands tightening on themselves. He still hadn't told Emmett he was gay. He had no idea how his friend would react. Right then he didn't want to know.

"I've just got a lot going on right now." He said shaking his head, hoping that Emmett would let it drop for once. He didn't.

"Like what? Are you still bummed that Skylar moved to New York. I know you liked her but it's been like three months. It's time to move on." PJ swallowed a bitter laugh. He would love to move on and find someone new. The problem was he was hung up on Spencer and it didn't look like he was going somewhere anytime soon.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"This isn't like you, PJ. You tell me everything." Emmett said reaching over to put his hand on PJ's shoulder. When the blonde boy stiffened he took it away.

"There are some things you just don't want to know." PJ said quietly before standing. "I'm kind of tired; you think we could skip practice today?" He said without looking at Emmett.

"Sure, no problem. Whatever." He got up off the couch and headed upstairs. PJ rolled onto his side and pulled his legs up to his stomach. He had to get over it eventually, he knew he did. He couldn't shuffle around like a kicked dog the rest of his life, but he wasn't ready. It still hurt.

PJ didn't go to school Friday. He slept through the alarm and Amy didn't bother waking him. She was worried. Instead of things getting better with time they had gotten worse. PJ had been picking at his meals for the past week and not matter how early he went to bed he still looked exhausted when he got up the next day. So she just let him sleep, hoping that just maybe, he would have some peace in his dreams. When Teddy came downstairs she stopped her.

"Teddy…"

"I'm going to talk to Spenser today." She said as she sat down on the couch. The way she said 'talk' entailed more violence than conversation.

"Oh…okay." Amy said shrugging.

"I didn't think PJ would take this so hard." Teddy said shaking her head. "I thought there would be more time, but he's…."

"More time for what?"

"Never mind, I've got to go." She got up and went through the kitchen and out the backdoor to her car.

She couldn't find Spenser before the tardy bell rang, but she planned to hunt him down before second period even if she had to miss the class. Finding him after first period was easier than she thought. As soon as she stepped out of the classroom Spencer grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her aside.

"Where is your brother?" He asked, his eyes were wide and his voice strained.

"He stayed home today." She said shaking her head. "Listen, Spence, I'm calling it all off. You can date PJ, teaching you a lesson isn't worth this."

"No! Today's the day; he has to be here today. I've got everything ready." He said still looking slightly panicked.

"Seriously, what have you got planned?" She asked cocking her hip and staring at him dubiously.

"It's a surprise, you have to go home and get him." Spenser said pleadingly.

"Let me get this straight: you want me to skip school, run home, drag my depressed brother out of bed, and drag him kicking and screaming to the school?" She sighed pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." He said smiling apologetically. "It's worth it, I promise." He said clasping his hands, ready to get down on his knees and beg.

"Clumpnuggets." She groaned turning and heading towards the exit. "If I get suspended for cutting class I'm going to kill you." She threw over her shoulder as she slipped outside and headed towards the parking lot.

PJ was still in bed. Everyone thought he'd been sleeping all the time but that wasn't it. He hadn't been sleeping at all. He lay in bed staring at the wall, staring at the ceiling, staring out the window. Even if he wanted to sleep he couldn't, but he didn't want to sleep, didn't want to dream. He was afraid if he fell asleep he would dream about Spencer. And he was too raw and ragged to dream about Spencer, it would be like rubbing salt in an open wound. When Teddy burst into his room he barely reacted.

"Get out of bed; you're coming with me to school." She said nudging his blanket covered body. He groaned something unintelligible and flailed at her feebly with one arm. She grabbed his arm and started pulling. He was dead weight, but he wasn't resisting, she managed to pull him off the bed and into the floor. The sudden emergence from his warm cave of misery caused a reaction.

"Go away." He grumbled grabbing a hold of the blanket and dragging it over himself on the floor. "I don't want to go to school. Mom said I don't have to."

"Right, one broken heart and you revert into a four year old." Teddy sighed reaching down to snatch his blanket away. He whimpered and put an arm over his eyes. "If you get up and come with me I'll buy you ice cream." She cajoled. He moved his arm and looked at her. When Teddy had broken up with Spencer she had inhaled ice cream like a vacuum cleaner. Maybe there was some intrinsic anesthetic properties to the creamy desert.

"I get the ice cream before I go to school and I'm not changing clothes." He was wearing a pair of pajama pants and the hoody that Spencer had been wearing the day they talked on the porch. He had acknowledged how pathetic it was when he pulled the hoody out of the hamper.

"You'll probably regret it later, but that works for me." She said tugging on his arms. "Come on, shoes!"

After five minutes of constant prodding and barked orders Teddy finally managed to get PJ in the car. Their mother had followed the forced migration watching bemusedly. She didn't ask any questions though. PJ stared out the window as they drove back towards the school.

"Hey I said ice cream first." He grumbled as they pulled into the high school parking lot.

"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea." She said shaking her head. "In the mood you're in you'd get it all over yourself, get and ice cream headache, and end up crying in history class."

"What's your point?" She grimaced and reaching over to scrub his hair with her hand, trying to fluff it up so it didn't look so lank. "You're going to hate yourself by the end of the day anyway; I'm trying to minimize the damage."

"Why, because people might see me?" He asked rolling his eyes. "I don't care, it doesn't matter anymore."

"Get out of the car, go inside, if you leave before the end of the day I will find your deepest fears and use them to drive you into a mental institution." She said darkly. "Do you understand me?" She asked smiling way too brightly. That managed to blast through the shell of misery and pity PJ had managed to pull around himself. It was pure, 100%, classic Amy Duncan and it was aimed at him. His mother only aimed the worst of her crazy at total strangers. But he knew Teddy wasn't above leveling it at him, they had been trading vendettas since they were old enough to walk.

"Crystal." He said trying to keep his voice from shaking. She nodded once, opened the car door, and headed into the school.

The last two classes were canceled for the talent show. It was at least one good thing in PJ's day. He showed up halfway through second his second class and did the bare minimum to allow him to fly under the teacher's radar. When everyone was released to go to the auditorium he almost went to the library. He wanted to be alone; he didn't want to be trapped amongst the swelter of humanity that would be jammed in the small auditorium like sardines in a can.

But Teddy had anticipated such a move. It had become fairly obvious that Spencer was planning to pop his big surprise during the talent show. She made a beeline from her class to PJ's and scooped him up as he lumbered out the door like a sleepwalker. He sighed but didn't protest as she led him to the auditorium. Surprisingly enough she sat down beside him when he slouched into the first seat available. They hadn't interacted at school …like ever.

The minute Ivy flopped down on the other side and began clattering at his sister he tuned out. He might not have any choice whether he was there or not, but Teddy could drag him to the show, she couldn't make him pay attention. He heard Emmett's name called during the early part of the show but he hadn't been able to muster up enough attention span to watch him perform

When the emcee announced Spencer's name an electric shock slammed into his body, just about the same time as Teddy's elbow slammed into his ribs. He sat up straighter in his seat and forgot to harp at Teddy for elbowing him when Spencer walked onto the stage. He was wearing a sleeveless hoody that was zipped down to his sternum. He walked across the stage and straight up to the microphone.

"I've been thinking all week about the perfect way to say I love you." He began. PJ slumped a little in his seat, suddenly aware of Teddy's presence. He hazarded a glance at her from the corner of his eyes. She was grinning, which was way more disturbing than anything else she could have done. "I finally realized there may be no perfect way to tell the perfect boy that you love him. But I thought I'd try anyway." PJ twitched in his seat as a crescendo of whispers rose in the audience. Spencer had just come out in front of the entire school.

"Oh my god." He heard Teddy whisper beside him. The opening chords of a song he didn't know swelled from the audio system and PJ's heart thudded frenetically against his ribcage.

/When the rain is blowin' in your face/ And the whole world is on your case/ I could offer you a warm embrace/ to make you feel my love/

PJ's heart ground to a stop, fell into his stomach, and burst into flames. The sudden wave of heat that blossomed behind his navel caused his breath to catch in his throat. Hot tears pricked at the corner of his eyes.

/I know you haven't made your mind up yet/ but I would never do you wrong/  
>I've known it from the moment that we met No doubt in my mind where you belong/

The tears slipped from the corners of his eyes and blazed down his cheeks. A strangled sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh bubbled out of his throat. Out of the periphery he could see several people in the rolls around him turn to look at him, but he just stared at the stage.

/The storms are raging on the rolling sea/ and on the highways of regret/ The winds of change are blowing wild and free/ You ain't seen nothing like me yet/

PJ clasped his hands over his mouth sniffling as a earth shattering smile spread across his face. He was afraid if he didn't cover it that it would flash out across the auditorium like a searchlight. For a moment he wondered why he cared.

/I could make you happy/ make your dreams come true/ Nothing that I wouldn't do/ Go to the ends of the earth for you/ To make you feel my love/

PJ stared as Spencer turned and walked off stage without waiting for applause. The clapping came slowly, first one set of hands then another until it filled the auditorium like the sound of rain on a tin roof. PJ sat in stunned silence. Teddy drove her elbow into his ribs again. He jumped and turned to her, his face showing the first emotion it had in weeks.

"Go!" She hissed pointing at the small door that stood in the front corner of the room. It led backstage.

"But…."

"Move fool!" Ivy snapped poking her head out from behind Teddy. He jumped, slipped out of the aisle, and jogged down the sloping floor towards the door. Every eye behind the curtains was trained on him when he slipped through. He stopped in his tracks blinking under the intense scrutiny. Emmett stood to one side with a shocked look on his face. Finally the emcee, a short girl clutching a clipboard, cocked her thumb over her shoulder towards the exit door. PJ ran for it.

Spencer was standing outside, the first snowflakes of the year drifting down around him. PJ came flying out of the door and grabbed him, pressing a hand to either side of his face, he did the only thing he'd wanted to do since he'd seen Spencer in Abernathy. He kissed him. His heart rose out of his stomach back into his chest, carrying the heat with it. Anyone watching could have seen the snowflakes melting as they floated down around the two boys. But no one was watching.

PJ finally had to come up for air. He would have gladly gone without oxygen for the rest of his life if it meant that kiss never had to end, but it did. He sighed quietly falling back onto his heels without even realizing he'd been standing on his toes. Spencer brought his hand up to PJ's cheek, wiping the tear stains away with his thumb. PJ stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Spencer's rib, and buried his face against his shoulder. When Spencer's arms came around and clamped behind his back he let out a low shuddering sigh.

"I have to say you look good in that hoody." Spencer said after a few moments of silence.

"I think there's room in here for both of us if you're cold." He said smiling against Spencer's shoulder. Spencer laughed then nestled his face into the blond hair under his lips. "You do realize you just came out into the entire school, right?"

"Mmhmm," Spenser murmured into his hair.

"You might get kicked off the football team."

"Mmhmm."

"Is that all you're going to say?" PJ asked pulled back to look at him.

"Nope, two more words." Spencer said shaking his head, a smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah?"

"Worth it."

A/N: I really hope this is not the conclusion to Colorado Nights, but it is the ending of the plot line I had figured out in my head. Maybe now I can get some real work done. As always read and review. I may think of new adventures for Spence and PJ yet.


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